


in the woods somewhere

by tol_sirion



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Gen, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 13:00:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28778691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tol_sirion/pseuds/tol_sirion
Summary: There has always been rumors of witches in the woods, ill omens that come and go. As things start to stir, Felix begins to realize that the ill omens don't come from the woods - but rather from his own town.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34





	in the woods somewhere

**Author's Note:**

> more self indulgent fic bc i'm incapable of anything else. this one was really fun to write too! i struggled a little underway, and i apologize if any of the sections feel clunky ;w; this is unbetaed so any mistake is my own.
> 
> do not worry about the minor character death tag! it's for oc characters, and off screen.

When Felix was little, he had always loved playing out in the fields, spending hours on his own. He did play a lot with the other kids too, especially Jisung and Jeongin, but he had always liked the peace of being on his own. His parents had given up on trying to keep him from it, as long as he remained within sight of the house at all times.

On one such occasion, he had gone a little further than intended. His house laid nearest to the old wood, and he had been warned several times not to go there. Bad things lived there, his father always said. Wicked creatures that would steal away children in the middle of the night. Witches, wanting to boil little children alive in their cauldrons and make sure their parents never saw them again.

Felix had been fascinated, not really scared by the stories but more interested in what a witch supposedly was. His parents would never say, they only told him he would know if he ever saw one, and to run away as fast as he could if he did.

Finding himself drifting near the trees, he sat down among the tall wheat stalks and scoured the ground for pretty rocks. He wasn’t that far from the house, and if he brought something for his mother, then she wouldn’t mind. He looked around, frowning when he couldn’t find any that were good enough, and pushed himself up, wiping dirt on the legs of his pants. There had to be something…

There! Felix hurried over and knelt down over the patch of clovers. Maybe if he found a four-leaf clover? His mother said they would bring luck, and they could do with that right now. He wasn’t old enough to fully get it, but he _did_ understand that things were rough right now. His father always came home tired, and his mother’s face was always wrinkled with worry. He wanted to at least make her smile.

He pouted when he couldn’t find any. All of them just had three leaves, and if he ripped a leaf to make four it wouldn’t be the same. It wouldn’t be a _real_ four-leaf clover, and because of that it wouldn’t work properly. He really wanted to bring one.

A shadow fell over him and he looked up, blinking at the man who stood there. The man peered down at him, and then knelt down to be at eye-level with him.

“What are you doing?” the man asked.

Felix frowned. “I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.” he said firmly.

The man smiled at that, and held out a hand.

“My name is Hyunjin.”

Felix hesitated for a while more, but then took his hand. “I’m Felix. I’m six!”

The man – Hyunjin – nodded. “I’m…” He paused, grimacing briefly. “Twenty. And now we’re no longer strangers.”

That made sense. Felix nodded slowly and pulled his hand back to poke at the clovers again.

“I want to find one with four leaves. To bring luck to my parents! But there aren’t any.”

He picked up one with three leaves and sighed. This was so difficult.

“Hmm. We can’t have that.” Hyunjin replied, holding his hand out. “May I look at it?”

Felix nodded and handed it over, and Hyunjin took it between two fingers, peering at it.

“Are you good at finding them?” Felix asked curiously.

Hyunjin smiled. “No. I have a friend who’s a lot better. But, I think I can help you. Close your eyes.”

Felix frowned, but covered his eyes with his hands. “Why?”

“Magic doesn’t work if you look.”

He gasped, instantly dropping his hands. “Magic?!”

“No looking!”

He quickly covered his eyes again. “I’m not!”

“Good. Okay. Why don’t you count to ten for me?” Hyunjin asked him.

Felix frowned, but slowly counted to ten out loud. This felt a lot more like playing hide-and-seek than doing magic.

He finished, and scrunched his nose. “Can I look now?”

“Yes, open your eyes.”

He dropped his hands and blinked a few times. Then he gasped. Hyunjin was holding a four-leaf clover!

“How did you do that?” he asked, surprised.

Hyunjin smiled and held it out to him. “Magic,” he repeated. “It’s a secret, though. Can you promise not to tell your parents?”

“I suppose so,” Felix agreed, taking it. It was a real one, too! Not just a leaf ripped into two. “Thank you, Mr. Hyunjin!”

“You’re very welcome, Felix. You should probably get going, though. Your parents must be looking for you.”

“I suppose.” He got to his feet, realizing he was a lot further from home than he had meant to be. He glanced towards the woods, then at Hyunjin. “Are you… _a witch_?”

He whispered the last bit, eyes wide.

Hyunjin put a finger to his lips. “Ssh. Don’t tell anyone. Be good to your parents, hm, Felix?”

“I will!” Felix nodded quickly. “I mean I won’t tell anyone, but I’m always really good! Mostly… not always.”

He looked down at his dirtied knees. Oh well. His mother could wash the pants.

Hyunjin nodded and rose to his feet as well, brushing off his clothes. “Good. I’ll see you around.”

“Okay!” Felix waved at him, and then turned around and hurried back home, the clover held carefully in his palm.

When he got home, he eagerly showed his mother, who scolded him for dirtying his clothes but thanked him for the gift, smiling as she put it in a small glass with some water.

When she asked where he had gotten it, he had already forgotten all about his promise not to tell anyone about Hyunjin, eagerly explaining about the nice man who had given it to him, pulling it out of thin air.

He never fully understood why his mother’s face fell, or why she talked to his father in hushed voices when they thought he was already asleep.

When he woke the next morning, the clover had wilted, four leaves turned into three, and his mother had thrown it into the fireplace and told him never to go out into the fields alone again, and to forget all about the man he had met. He wasn’t allowed outside without supervision for months, and people in the town had a lot more meetings than they usually did. His father was gone evening after evening.

With time, he forgot about Hyunjin, years passing by and the memory of him fading until he couldn’t recall having met anyone at all. All he knew was that something had changed, and the woods had grown darker and more cursed. Some people entered with the intention of chasing out the witches from the stories, but not everyone returned.

And now–

“We are so lost.”

“We’re not lost!”

Felix doesn’t know how they ended up in the middle of the woods, in the dark, with no path in sight, but it happened and he’s trying his best to stay calm. It’s not easy when Jisung is freaking out and Jeongin is trying to convince all of them, but mostly himself, that things are fine.

“Then what do you call this?” Jisung asks, waving his arms around, “we’re nowhere near where we’re supposed to be! That’s called being lost!”

“We’re just a little off track,” Jeongin protests, digging around his satchel for his map, “I swear we were on the path just a minute ago. We could still see the big oak; you both saw it.”

Felix tries to breathe steadily as he looks around, trying to see anything at all. It’s not pitch-black, but it’s dark enough that instead of trees and rocks, all he sees is darker shapes against the backdrop. How did things go wrong so quickly? Sure, they have been warned a million times not to pass the oak in question, but they were simply curious.

He tunes out their squabbling, walking a few steps ahead and squinting. He thinks he can see-

“-it wasn’t even dark out-”

“-calm down, it’s fine-”

“-this was a bad idea-”

“-it was _your_ idea-”

“Guys?” Felix calls, glancing back at them.

Jisung and Jeongin break off their argument to look his way.

“What is it?” Jisung asks, looking suddenly subdued, like there’s something in Felix’ expression that worries him.

“I think I saw something?” Felix replies, a little unsure as he looks ahead again. He can’t see anything now, but he _swears_ he saw something move.

“We should go.” Jeongin says, voice quiet, “we can go back the way we came. I don’t wanna stay here anymore.”

“You literally just said it was fine.” Jisung hisses at him.

“Well, now it’s not,” Jeongin retorts, shoving the map back into the satchel, “I’m leaving. We’re never doing this again.”

Felix opens his mouth to speak, but a piercing shriek tears through the woods suddenly, coming from the direction where he had seen whatever it was.

All three of them jump. Jisung lets out a scream of his own before turning around and running.

Felix and Jeongin quickly follow, the three of them tearing through the woods, trying not to stumble because they can barely see the ground.

“What are we even running from?!” Jeongin cries.

“Don’t care, just run!” Felix shouts back, not daring to look over his shoulder.

It feels like something is right on his heels, like if he looks, he’ll see red eyes and a slobbering maw full of sharp teeth, he can practically feel an icy breath against his neck-

He stumbles, foot catching on a stray root, and goes down with a yell.

He catches himself on his hands and knees, foot still tangled, and for a moment all is silent. He can’t hear Jeongin or Jisung, can’t hear as much as a rustle of leaves.

He blinks and sees a pair of bare feet in front of him. The nails are pointed and sharp.

He freezes in place, eyes wide. Oh god.

Slowly, as slow as he dares, he raises his eyes. In front of him is… what looks like a boy. Felix can barely make out his features, sees only a serious expression set on a pale face, eyes gleaming even in the dark.

He opens his mouth, but not a word escapes.

The boy crouches down, and his expression becomes clearer. His eyes look unnatural, but Felix can’t tell why. His lips purse, and then he holds out a hand.

Felix can only stare at it in bewilderment.

“You shouldn’t be going places you aren’t familiar with.” the boy says.

Before Felix can respond, there’s a shout as Jisung comes through the trees brandishing the knife he stole from his father.

“Don’t touch him!” he snaps, waving it as menacingly as he can. “I’ll- I’ll hurt you if you do!”

Jeongin appears too, out of breath but holding his satchel threateningly. If Felix wasn’t scared out of his wits, he would take a moment to remember why he’s so fond of them.

As it is, he can’t take his eyes away from the boy in front of him. The boy turns his head slightly, looking at the other two out of the corner of his eye, and then looks back at Felix, hand steady.

Felix swallows hard and takes it.

He’s heaved to his feet, and then almost immediately collapses again as pain shoots up his foot.

“Shit.” he groans.

“Like I said.” the boy says, but doesn’t immediately go to help him back up. Instead he turns to Jisung and Jeongin. “I’m not going to hurt your friend. You’re clearly lost and meandering places you shouldn’t. Put the knife down.”

Jisung hesitates for a moment to long, and the boy sighs and waves a hand. The blade immediately wilts like a sad flower, and Jisung stares at it in shock.

“What- how did- what is-”

“Please shut up.” the boy mutters. Jisung shuts up.

The boy turns to Jeongin, clearly hoping for something more eloquent. “Why are you here?”

“We were… just… going for a hike,” Jeongin says, shrugging on his satchel now that there’s no immediate threat of death, “we didn’t mean to, uh, go where we shouldn’t. We just thought… it was okay if we could still see the big oak. The one cleft in two. Do you know it?”

“I know it.” the boy replies. “I also know you’re not the first to try. It never goes well. When you go back to your town, do everyone a favor and stay there.”

“Hey, that’s uncalled for!” Jisung protests.

The boy shoots him a look icy enough to make him take a step back. Finally he turns to Felix and moves to his feet, crouching down and helping him move his leg.

Felix winces as it pulls on his ankle, and the boy reaches out to touch his leg for a moment.

“Just sprained,” he says finally. “You’re a long way from home, though. Going back is going to be difficult. It’s not safe.”

“Because of what we heard before?” Jeongin asks, now looking mostly curious.

The boy twists his head quickly. “What did you hear?” he asks, urgent.

“A scream,” Felix says, pushing himself up to sit. His palms and knees throb as well. He can see they’re scraped and bleeding. “It was _awful_. It’s why we were running.”

“You heard it?” The boy seems surprised and a little alarmed, before his expression turns neutral. “Hm. That’s not good news.”

“Can you tell us what it was?” Jisung asks.

The boy immediately shakes his head. “No. Not here. Come on, help your friend up.”

He steps back, and Jisung and Jeongin quickly hurry over and help Felix to his feet, his arms slung over their shoulders.

“Follow me.” the boy says and begins to walk, and they follow him as quickly as they can with Felix jumping awkwardly on one foot.

They’re silent as they walk. The stranger doesn’t seem inclined to talk, stopping occasionally to look around, but they can neither see nor hear anything. There is no more screaming, which all of them are grateful for.

“Are you a witch?” Jisung finally dares to ask, once they’ve been walking for a good long while. “It’s… why we came out here, is all.”

He finishes with a mumble, clearly a little embarrassed. Felix gets it. It just feels so stupid now.

“I’m not.” is all the boy says.

None of them dare to ask any more questions. Felix focuses on the pain in his foot instead. It’s somehow better than trying to think about what on earth is going on.

It feels like they stumble into the clearing between one breath and the next. They come to an abrupt halt and Felix almost falls before Jisung and Jeongin catch him again.

In front of them is a house. Well, something more like a cottage. The lights are bright coming from the windows, and smoke rises from a chimney on the roof. The air feels warmer here, and when Felix looks up, he can see the stars.

He takes a deep breath, not realizing how enclosed and damp the woods had felt until he’s suddenly no longer stuck under the boughs of the tall trees.

The boy hasn’t stopped, just kept walking, but pauses when he reaches the door and realizes they’re no longer following him.

“Well, hurry up.” he says, tapping his foot impatiently.

They quickly walk over, and he pushes the door open, holding it for them so they can pass over the threshold.

The air inside is warm and Felix can smell the scent of bread and herbs. It’s delicious, and he breathes in almost greedily, looking around. They’ve entered a tiny hallway, with shoes scattered by the door and scarves and hats and coats hung from a rack directly in front of them. Doorways lead in all directions, and there doesn’t seem to be much meaning to the layout.

“Changbin?” a voice calls, “is that you?”

“It’s me,” the boy – _Changbin_ – says. “I brought your strays.”

There’s a clatter from somewhere, and then another boy comes in through the doorway to the left. He looks young too, messy brown hair falling into his eyes, and he eyes them up and down and lets out a sigh. “Oh good. I was worried you would be eaten.”

“ _What_?” Jisung asks faintly, voice pitched high.

The new boy just flashes a quick smile that’s more like the baring of teeth. “Come on in. Please close the door, you’re letting in a draft.”

They all shuffle forward so Changbin can close the door behind them. Felix’ head is reeling, but they follow after the two of them and into what appears to be a kitchen. There’s pots and pans of all sorts lining the walls, bundles of herbs hung up to dry, and a loaf of bread is rising in an oven that heats the room almost too much.

“Sit down, sit down,” the new boy says as Changbin disappears through yet another doorway. There doesn’t seem to be any _real_ doors in the house, other than the front door. “Nasty business. You should know better than to go stumbling through the dark.”

“It wasn’t dark when we left,” Jisung begins to protest, “we didn’t mean to get off-track.”

“Of course not,” the boy replies dryly, “you just didn’t think there was any truth to the warnings given to you. I hope you’ve learned a lesson.”

Jisung grumbles under his breath, but then focuses on helping Felix sit down.

“Felix is hurt,” Jeongin says carefully, “can you help him?”

The boy turns away from checking on the bread in the oven and wipes his hands on his shirt.

“Well, why didn’t you say so?” he asks.

Jeongin opens his mouth to say something, but Felix quickly nudges him with his elbow. It’s better not to get on these people’s bad side – although maybe they already are. It feels a little unfair. There have always been rumors of witches in the woods, ever since they were little, but it always felt like the stories were meant as nightmare fodder and held little truth.

Apparently, he was wrong.

“What’s your name?” Felix asks when the boy kneels down to look at his foot. The boy glances up at him, eyes searching, but then busies himself rolling up the leg of his pants.

“Minho,” he says after a moment. “Lee Minho. Your resident hedge witch.”

“You probably shouldn’t be telling us you’re a witch.” Jisung mutters.

Minho throws him a glance. “Why not? You’re already here. You met Changbin. You could hear things you shouldn’t. Why, are you going to run back to your town and tell your Elders about us?”

“No.” Jisung mumbles.

Minho smiles. “Good. If you do, I’ll have to kill you.”

Felix isn’t sure he wants Minho to look at his foot at all, but he’s also scared to protest in case the witch takes offense. He simply keeps quiet as Minho frowns at his swollen ankle and mutters under his breath, then looks at his knees and hands as well. His grip on Felix’ wrists is firm, but not rough, and he finally rises to his feet and lets go.

“I should have just the thing.” he says, and starts rooting through some jars lined on a shelf. He unscrews the lid on one and takes a sniff, then nods to himself and grabs a bundle of linen, coming back. He scoops out some of the content of the jar and smears it on Felix’ ankle. It’s a strange green color, but it doesn’t smell unpleasant. Kind of like grass.

“Can’t you magic it away?” Jeongin wonders. “You know… wave your hand and his foot is as good as new, that kind of stuff?”

“Well, I could, but where’s the fun in that?” Minho says. He finishes coating the whole ankle in the goo and wipes his hands on a dishcloth he’s got tucked into his belt, then starts winding the makeshift bandage over it. “Sometimes the best thing you can do is encourage the body’s natural healing process. Magic is a finnicky thing, you might cause more damage than actually helping.”

He finishes and gets back to his feet.

“Thanks.” Felix says, not wanting to appear ungrateful.

Minho offers a nod and goes over to the sink, filling a bowl with water and grabbing another piece of cloth before handing both items to Jeongin and Jisung. “For his hands and knees. Just clean them and he’ll be fine.”

Felix tries not to wince, but it stings when they try to clean his hands and knees of grit. He tries to keep an eye on Minho, watching as he takes the bread out of the oven and sets it to rest, before leaving the room.

“Can we trust him?” Jisung asks, keeping his voice low. “Him or that guy? Changbin? They said the woods are filled with witches and bad omens; we should leave.”

“They haven’t done anything to hurt us,” Jeongin tries to reason, “we would still be wandering around if not for them. We should give them a chance. Maybe the stories are wrong.”

“The stories are made-up drivel.”

Felix jumps, as does Jisung and Jeongin. Minho stares at them from the doorway, hands on his hips, gaze piercing into each one of them before he walks over and sits down at the table as well.

“Have a seat.”

Jeongin and Jisung quickly sit, the three of them fidgeting a little under Minho’s stare.

“There’s truth in them,” Minho finally says, relenting somewhat, “yes, I’m a witch. I live in these woods. But I’ve never been out to cause harm. None of us have. We’re just trying to live here in peace, and yet townsfolk come to hound us every few years, trying to pin the blame on us for a year of bad harvest or their cows dying.”

“Why don’t you leave?” Felix asks, a little confused. “Maybe settle somewhere else where you’ll be left alone?”

“Why should we leave when we were here first?” Minho asks, mouth curving into a faint smile. “I’ve lived here for years upon years, long before your town even came to exist. I’m not the trespasser here.”

“How is that possible?” Jisung asks. He looks confused. “You can’t be that old.”

“I’m older than I look,” Minho says and smirks, “I just like to keep my youth. These woods were endless, once. Stretched from the seas in the west to the mountains in the east. Humans came and destroyed it all. There’s little left, now, but the magic within is still powerful. We need it to survive, it’s that simple.”

Felix thinks he understands his reasoning, but there’s still a lot he wants to know. He just hopes he won’t be cursed for asking.

“Why are you telling us all of this? What is to keep us from telling everyone, despite saying we won’t?”

“I already told you,” Minho replies, “if you say anything, I’ll have to kill you. I’ve had enough of humans trying to kill _us_ for being different. But they won’t act on it, if you tell them. Not yet.”

“Why not?” Jeongin wants to know.

“Because I protect what is mine,” Minho says sharply, “and they know it. The last person who came here trying to attack my family was sent back without a head. I would hate to have to do the same to you.”

All three of them are stunned silent, staring at him with wide eyes.

He sighs. “You seem like good people. I am putting a lot of trust in you, telling you any of this. By helping you. There are things in these woods that don’t have good intentions, and I didn’t want you to be hurt by those. I invited you into my home. Do not make me regret it.”

They’re quiet for a long time.

“We won’t.” Jisung finally pipes up. “Promise.”

Minho eyes him for a long minute, and then nods. “Good.”

He rises again, and finally his demeanor is more relaxed, smiling as he heads towards the stove. “You must be hungry. Bread?”

Ten minutes later find them gathered at the table, a veritable feast in front of them with tea and butter and jams, bread still warm and delicious. It’s easy to forget everything that has just happened when they can eat good food and be plied with all sorts of tea flavors. Felix figures that if Minho wants to do them in, this is a good way to go.

“Are you and Changbin the only ones living here?” Jisung asks when they’ve finally slowed down a little. “You said we.”

“No,” Minho replies, scraping more butter on a slice. “There’s four of us. You might meet the others, but don’t count on it.”

“Is Changbin a witch too?” Felix asks. “He seemed kind of…”

He doesn’t know how to say _not human_ without being offensive.

Minho grins like he understands. “No. Changbin is a familiar. A witches’ companion. His regular form isn’t human, but sometimes it’s easier that way.”

“He’s yours?” Felix wonders. Minho shakes his head.

“No, I don’t have one. The witch he belongs to is upstairs at the moment.”

He doesn’t seem inclined to follow up that statement, and even if they’re all dying to ask, Felix knows that pushing won’t help. They’re here as guests, and Minho could very easily throw them out to the wolves, so to speak.

“There’s an upstairs?” Jeongin asks instead, after a moment. “The house doesn’t seem that big from the outside. It was dark, though.”

“The wonders of magic,” Minho says, “things are never quite what they seem.”

The statement tickles something in the back of Felix’ mind, but before he can grasp it it’s gone.

Eventually, the conversation trickles out. Felix feels himself getting tired, eyes drooping, and out of the corner of his eye he sees Jisung nodding off into his teacup.

“Time for bed,” Minho says and stands. “Changbin will take you back home in the morning. Follow me.”

They get to their feet and slowly trudge after him out of the kitchen. Felix realizes his foot doesn’t hurt half as bad as it had, though he’s careful not to put too much weight on it.

Back in the entryway, they cross it to go through the other doorway to the right of the front door. It’s some sort of living room, though there’s more pillows than actual chairs. There’s a fireplace, a fire burning merrily, and a cat is curled up on one such pillow in front of the hearth. There’s also a set of stairs by the wall, and they go up it now and come upstairs into a hallway lined with doors.

Felix would take the time to wonder at it all if he wasn’t suddenly so tired. Briefly, the thought that Minho had done something strikes him, but he immediately replaces that thought with the knowledge that they’ve been through a lot tonight, and that it’s bound to make them tired.

Minho stops outside a door and pushes it open. There’s three beds inside, and a window on the opposite wall, as well as candles lighting up the room.

“You can sleep in here,” he says. “Wash up a bit. In the morning, you can come down for breakfast before you leave.”

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Jeongin tells him carefully, “we would have been really lost without your help. We owe you.”

Minho eyes him for a long moment. “Be careful with what you promise me,” he says eventually. “And don’t try to enter any other rooms.”

He pauses, then grimaces. “And you’re welcome, I suppose. Don’t make me regret it.”

Jeongin nods, and Minho leaves after bidding them goodnight.

Felix makes to shut the door, but pauses when he hears voices from the room opposite theirs. There’s a light coming from the crack under the door. He can’t tell what they say, but Minho’s warning is fresh in mind, so he shuts the door instead and walks over to sit on one of the beds.

There’s a basin of water resting on a table, he realizes, and towels stacked next to it, so he quickly gets up again to wash his face and hands. It feels good to get some of the sweat and dirt off. The water looks as clean as it had before he started when he’s done, and he blinks at it.

He’s far too tired for this.

Jisung and Jeongin follow, and then they blow out the candles and cram into one of the beds so as not to be apart. The bed doesn’t feel as small as it should be, and maybe that’s more magic. Whatever it is, it’s nice, and Felix sleepily pats the bed where he’s curled up with his back to Jisung’s.

“I’m glad this happened,” Jisung says after a moment of laying together in the dark. “As weird as it is. And as scary as it is. I don’t want to know what happened out there, but… I don’t mind this.”

“Me neither,” Jeongin murmurs. “He looked sad; did you notice? When he talked about the woods being destroyed. It made me think a lot.”

“I’m too tired for thinking,” Felix mumbles. “But… yeah. Me too.”

“Let’s sleep,” Jisung decides, “we can question him more tomorrow.”

Falling asleep is easy, and when Felix wakes in the morning, he feels well-rested and more energetic than he has in a while.

The room is bright and cozy in the sunlight that filters through the window. Jeongin is already up when Felix sits up, but Jisung is sleeping like the dead, snoring a little against the pillow.

“I’ve tried to wake him like five times,” Jeongin sighs, “he hasn’t budged. Do you think we can leave him here?”

“That would be mean,” Felix says, but he can’t hide the smile. Jeongin sighs again.

“It was worth a try.”

Felix rolls over and lays himself flat across Jisung, blowing into his ear.

“Wake up!”

Jisung snorts and jerks, turning his head away.

“I’m up!” he manages, struggling to open his eyes for a moment before reaching up to rub at them. “Get off.”

Felix rolls back off him and sits up again, getting to his feet. He stumbles over to the wash basin again and quickly splashes his face.

“Felix, your foot.” Jisung says suddenly.

Felix frowns in confusion, but then quickly looks down when he remembers. His foot doesn’t hurt. He tries putting all his weight on it, but there’s no pain at all. He quickly sits on the nearest bed and undoes the bandage, wiping away what remains of the green goo. His foot looks fine. His knees and hands are still a little scabbed, but those scratches look days old as well.

“That’s so weird.” he breathes, tilting his foot up and down.

“I love magic.” Jisung says, eyes wide, looking completely awake now.

They all quickly wash up and dress properly with the clothes they have, and then they head out into the hallway. Some of the doors are open now, and they sneak quick glances when they pass them. The rooms look like bedrooms, comfortable and lived in. There’s also what looks like some sort of study room, books lining shelves from floor to ceiling.

Jeongin nearly stops there, drawn towards it, and Jisung and Felix have to forcibly pull him along and downstairs.

The living room is empty, the fire died out, but there’s sounds from elsewhere in the house.

It makes them a little wary to enter the kitchen, nervous now that it’s morning and there’s the prospect of meeting more people. But they can’t linger in the entryway forever, and leaving without a guide back through the woods is out of the question.

Finally Jisung straightens and takes their hands in each of his own, pulling them into the kitchen. Minho is there, sitting by the table, but he’s definitely not alone. Two more boys are with him, one with his back to them, and the other sitting at the end, only giving a side profile.

However, when they enter, all three look up at them, and it makes them falter again.

Minho smiles, looking satisfied. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Felix replies, Jisung and Jeongin echoing him.

The boy who has his back to them twists properly in his seat, eyeing them. His black hair is pushed away from his forehead, though it’s messy like he didn’t bother to comb it this morning.

“I really didn’t believe Minho when he said we had guests,” he says, forehead wrinkled in surprise. “How did three strays get so lost?”

“It’s… a long story,” Jisung says, rubbing his neck awkwardly. “Uhm. Thank you for letting us stay. Sorry for the intrusion.”

The boy just shrugs and turns back to his breakfast.

The third boy is still watching them, a frown in place. His hair, somewhere between blond and gray, is falling into his eyes, the hair tie he’s got doing nothing to keep it in place. He’s got the cat from last night in his arms, scratching it between the ears absently. Felix realizes the cat must be Changbin. That means the boy must be the witch he belongs to.

“Weren’t you the one who said not to be kind to people from the town anymore, Minho?” he asks. His voice jolts something in Felix, and he gapes. The witch doesn’t look quite like he had, all those years ago, but suddenly Felix can remember him like it was yesterday.

“I know you.” he blurts.

The witch’s frown deepens, and he puts Changbin in his lap. “And I you. Unfortunately.”

“Hyunjin.” Minho warns, and Hyunjin throws him a look.

“He promised he wouldn’t tell anyone!”

“And he was a child,” Minho replies evenly, “you can’t trust in the promises of children. It’s not fair on him.”

“I’m… I’m sorry,” Felix says, swallowing, “I didn’t mean to… if telling them got you in trouble in any way. I was just really excited.”

Hyunjin shrugs, looking down at Changbin instead as he rubs beneath his chin. Changbin is purring, uncaring of the scene unfolding.

“It doesn’t matter now,” Minho says. “It was years ago. You were a child. You’re still young. It’s okay.”

Hyunjin rolls his eyes, and Minho gives him a warning look.

“If you’re just going to be a brat then you can go somewhere else.”

Hyunjin huffs but gathers Changbin in his arms again and promptly leaves the room. Minho sighs and shakes his head.

“I’m sorry about him. Please, sit down.”

They sit slowly. Jisung and Jeongin keep looking at Felix. The third boy at the table looks unbothered.

“What was that about?” Jisung finally asks.

Felix chews on his lip, glancing up at Minho, unsure if he should tell. Minho meets his eye and shrugs, so it must be okay.

“I met him when I was little,” Felix finally says. “I went further out than I was really allowed. He appeared, asked me what I was doing. I was trying to find a four-leaf clover for my mom, figured it’d fix everything. I don’t know. He gave me one. Created it, I guess?”

He sighs. “I got so excited about it. He made me promise I wouldn’t tell anyone about him, but I forgot in all the excitement, so when my mother asked where I found it, I told her about the man who made it for me. It… had consequences, I think. I didn’t realize it then, but…”

He looks at Minho again, who just watches him back, mouth pressed into a thin line over the rim of his cup. Felix tries to swallow back the guilt. “It wilted by the time I woke up the next morning. Seems there wasn’t any luck to be had.”

“You broke your promise,” Minho offers, “which broke the magic.”

Felix nods slowly. “I’m really sorry.”

“It can’t be blamed on you,” Minho replies. “You couldn’t possibly know, and you were just a child. Hyunjin should have known better than to expose himself.”

It does help make Felix feel a little better about it. It’s true, and he isn’t to blame for Hyunjin still being mad at him after all this time. He wasn’t at fault, he didn’t know. He takes a deep breath and nods to himself once, before reaching for the jam. He catches Minho’s eye briefly, to find Minho smiling, seemingly satisfied.

After they’ve all eaten breakfast they walk out of the house and into the sunshine. Changbin is waiting for them, human again and still barefoot, scuffing at the grass.

“Changbin will lead you back to your town,” Minho says, stepping out after them. “Make sure you don’t get lost again.”

“Thanks,” Jeongin says, a little unsure. “Uhm. Will we…?”

“What, see us again?” Minho says when he doesn’t continue, smirking. “Depends on what you want to risk. There’s no guarantee we’ll be able to save you every time you decide to be stupid.”

“Okay.” Jeongin mumbles, a little downtrodden.

Minho frowns, but doesn’t comment further. Instead he looks at all three of them one by one, expression turning more serious.

“Don’t mention us. If anybody asks where you’ve been, you can tell them whatever you like, but don’t mention us under any circumstances. We want to live in peace, and there won’t be any if they find out. I hope I’ve done the right thing by putting my trust in you.”

“We won’t,” Jisung says quickly, a repeat of last night, “promise.”

“You humans are always so quick to make promises you might not be able to keep.” Changbin mumbles from the side. Jisung grimaces.

“Good,” Minho says, ignoring the familiar. “I hope I won’t see you again, for all our sakes. Stem your curiosity next time.”

“We’ll try.” Felix offers.

Minho hums and nods. “Very well. Chin up. It’s a long walk.”

With that and a wave of his hand, he retreats back inside and shuts the door. They stare at it for a long moment, unsure if they should go, but then Changbin calls out and they hurry to follow him.

The walk is spent mostly in silence. The woods don’t seem that scary now, in the daylight, sunrays spilling down between the leaves. There’s even a path under their feet, and even if it’s hot, it’s bearable.

“Changbin?” Jisung finally asks.

Changbin looks at him over his shoulder. “Yes?”

“Do you think it’s possible we could come back?”

Changbin frowns in confusion. “Come back? Why would you want to come back?”

Jisung shrugs, playing with the hemline of his jacket. “You guys seem nice. Even if that Hyunjin guy was kind of an ass.”

He seems to realize who he’s talking to suddenly and looks panicked for a second. “Uh, no offense.”

Changbin… laughs.

They stare at him in surprise as he stops, a hand to his chest. His laughing eventually dies down into giggles, and he wipes at his eyes before taking a deep breath. “Oh, I wish he could hear you say that.”

He shakes his head, calming down as he begins to walk again. They quickly hurry after him. “You’re right, he’s totally an ass sometimes. It’s only skin-deep, though. He’s… well, I’m glad I’m his familiar, rather than Minho’s, or _heavens forbid_ , Seungmin’s.”

“Seungmin?” Jeongin asks.

“The other guy at breakfast,” Changbin replies. “He’s… something. Really nice, but… scary, sometimes. Wouldn’t hurt a fly if he didn’t have to, though.”

“There’s something I don’t understand,” Felix interrupts. Changbin tilts his head to indicate he’s listening. “Minho kept warning us not to talk about you guys, and you were secretive last night, but now you’re telling us all about yourselves and what you can do. Isn’t that kind of… it doesn’t make any sense.”

Changbin is quiet for a moment. Then he stops abruptly and turns around, causing them to almost stumble into him. He looks at them for a long minute, and then he sighs.

“I think… well, I think Minho just couldn’t help himself. It’s not often people don’t get fooled by the magic of the woods. They’ve reinforced it so much that the three of you shouldn’t have physically been able to pass the broken oak. You shouldn’t have heard the woods screaming like you did last night, either. It’s all connected to the magic seeped into the ground here, and humans aren’t…”

He grimaces, unsure of how to word himself.

“Humans have limits. They can be trained to pass beyond these limits, but if so, it should have to be from birth. The three of you… I think he was intrigued. You exceeded expectations. They’re social people, the three of them. Hyunjin sought you out all those years ago because he was curious. Minho took you into his home last night because he craved company and to see what is happening out there.”

He takes a deep breath, looking a little self-conscious. They’re all surprised to hear him talk so much.

“They all hope humans will move forward. That they won’t want them dead just for being able to do things most people don’t. It’s been going on for many, many years, and at every sign that it isn’t stopping they lose hope. I think that the three of you gave Minho some of the hope back, is all.”

“He said… that the woods are getting smaller,” Jeongin says slowly, “that they need it to survive.”

“It’s true,” Changbin confirms. “There’s magic in here that’s eons old. If it’s lost, so are they. So am I. It’s as simple as that.”

“But everyone back home have been chopping down the trees,” Jeongin continues, looking upset. “We’ve been using it as firewood, and to build our homes. To craft things. Does that mean we’re killing you?”

There’s a pause as Changbin struggles to reply, grimacing.

“Oh no.” Jeongin whispers, eyes wide.

“It’s not like that,” Changbin quickly says, “not quite. Taking from the woods is fine if you’re using it to help you. The trees are like that. They give themselves willingly to give shelter. It would be different if you… say, if you set it on fire simply to burn it, or if you chopped the trees and left them to rot. You don’t have anything to fear, Jeongin.”

“Still,” Jeongin says, though he looks a little less upset. “I hope… we can give back somehow.”

Changbin nods. “You’ll find a way. Don’t worry. But this is why we want to try and keep away from most humans. I hope you understand. You’ve been given a knowledge and insight I hope you won’t take advantage of.”

“Of course,” Felix nods. He thinks he gets it now. They’ve been lucky, and now they need to ensure they give back by not telling anyone of what they’ve seen.

He thinks he gets why Hyunjin approached him all those years ago, too. He won’t ruin this second chance.

“And to answer your original question,” Changbin says after a moment, “I wouldn’t completely give up the possibility that you might be able to come back. It’s not far. Not really.”

“It felt like we were out there for hours yesterday,” Jisung says, shaking his head.

Changbin smiles and nods ahead. “Are you sure?”

They look past him and realize they’re nearly at the big oak again. Still as cleft in two as it had been the night before, and every day before that, looming above them.

“How?” Jisung splutters.

“Magic.” Changbin replies. “Don’t overthink it. Head on home, your families must be worried about you.”

They can see the forest line from here, the fields and town just beyond.

“Thank you.” Jeongin tells him earnestly. “I’m happy we met!”

Changbin looks amused. “Of course. I’ll see you around.”

They look at him in surprise as he turns around and starts heading back.

“What do you mean?” Jisung calls. “Hey!”

Changbin raises a hand in a wave and then between one breath and the next he’s gone. Felix catches glimpse of a black tail disappearing behind a tree, and then it’s just them.

They look at each other.

“My dad is going to kill me,” Jisung finally says and sighs, “I dropped his knife.”

“I would worry more about the fact that we’ve been in the woods overnight and they’re more likely to kill us for that,” Felix points out. “It’s not allowed.”

“We’ll spin it somehow.” Jeongin says firmly. “I won’t let them get hurt.”

Felix looks at him for a long moment. He really hopes Jeongin won’t do anything stupid. He seems to have gotten really attached to the witches, even in such a short amount of time. He’ll have to keep an eye out for his friend in the future.

“We won’t,” Jisung promises, patting his shoulder. “Come on. Best to get it over with.”

Felix’ parents spend the better part of an hour just yelling at him when he comes through the door, before his mother hugs him tightly.

“I was so worried!” she says, holding him at an arm’s length and looking at him. “Where on earth have you been? Are you hurt?”

“I’m okay,” he promises, taking her hands in his. “I’m sorry, mother. I really didn’t mean to scare you. We just got lost.”

His father look at him for a long moment. “Did you see anything out there?”

“No?” Felix looks at him in confusion. “Maybe some animals? I don’t know, we were huddled under a tree the whole night. I’m really sorry, father, I didn’t mean to break the rules, we just-”

“It’s fine, Felix.” his father says. “It’s good you’re home.”

Even if they’ve yelled at him and he’s not allowed to leave the house for the next week, he still feels like he’s been let off with a suspiciously light punishment.

A few days after the incident, there’s a knock on the door in the early evening. Felix and his parents are all home, and his father goes to open the door. When he comes back, he’s brought one of the town Elders with him.

“Elder Kim,” his mother says and stands. Felix gets to his feet automatically as well. “You honor us. What are you doing here?”

“I contacted him.” Felix’ father says.

Felix looks at him, unease growing in the pit of his stomach. Why would his father do that? The town Elders are greatly respected, and they don’t tend to come for visits unless something has happened.

Like breaking the rules and staying in the woods overnight.

“I was told your son disappeared for a day,” Elder Kim says and looks at Felix. “I’ve only come to make sure he’s okay.”

“Of course,” his mother says and nods. “Please, have a seat.”

“I would like to speak to Felix alone,” Elder Kim continues. “Just to get the facts. It won’t take long.”

His mother looks unsure, but his father puts a hand on her back and leads her upstairs. “It’s fine. Come on, let’s give them some time.”

Felix slowly sits back down and Elder Kim smiles at him as he, too, takes a seat.

“You don’t have to look so frightened,” Elder Kim says next. “I only want to know what happened. You’re not in trouble.”

He only nods slowly. “I went out into the woods,” he admits, “just to the old oak. I didn’t mean to go past it, but I thought I saw some nice flowers and went off the path. I got lost.”

“Did you see anything?” Elder Kim wants to know. “Anything weird? Did something lead you astray?”

“No,” Felix replies quickly, “it got dark and I got too scared to try and get back on the path in case I got more lost, so I hid by a tree and waited for daylight to try.”

“And your friends?” Elder Kim asks. He makes no notion on whether or not he believes what Felix is saying.

“They did the same. We would already be in trouble just by being out there, so we didn’t want to make it worse.”

Elder Kim nods slowly. “Very well. And you’re sure you didn’t see anything? Any creatures?”

“You mean like the witches everyone says live out there?” Felix asks.

Elder Kim smiles. “That’s exactly what I mean.”

“No,” Felix says, “I didn’t see anyone. I didn’t hear anyone, either, except maybe an owl.”

They’re silent for a minute as Elder Kim regards him steadily. Felix tries not to sweat under the scrutiny.

“You know, Felix,” Elder Kim says eventually, “a few years ago you had a run-in with a witch. Do you remember?”

Felix pretends to squint in confusion and thought even as his heart almost skips a beat. “Not really. I must’ve been really young.”

“Just a child,” Elder Kim agrees, “which is what the witches want. Wily creatures, they are. Snatching children from their beds. The witch would surely remember you.”

“I really don’t know, Elder Kim,” Felix replies, licking his lips. His mouth feels dry. “I can’t remember at all. You seem to know a great deal about witches, though. Have you been having run-ins with any?”

He poses the question innocently enough, but Elder Kim’s nostrils flare as his expression changes into a scowl.

“I certainly have not! It’s only common knowledge. Now, you better stay out of those woods. That goes for all your friends, as well. If you get caught at it again, there’ll have to be a punishment.”

Felix knows what he means by that. Non-sanctioned actions are always punished publicly if severe enough, and he’s not looking to have that happen to him.

“Of course. I’m sorry, Elder Kim. It won’t happen again.”

Elder Kim nods and rises. “Good. Make sure it doesn’t. Good day to you.”

“Good day.” Felix mumbles, and Elder Kim sweeps out of the house.

His parents come down the stairs not long after, and Felix feels a little betrayed.

“Why did you call him here?” he asks his father. “We didn’t do anything wrong. Not really.”

“I just wanted to make sure he wouldn’t have anything on you,” his father says, clasping his shoulder, “I’m sorry, Felix, I should have told you. I only want you to be safe, do you understand that?”

Felix nods slowly, letting his mother fuss over him a little.

“He talked about how I met a witch when I was little,” he says, testing the waters.

Both his parents tense up.

“So you did,” his mother says and forces a smile. “Once. You weren’t harmed, but you could have been.”

“Things… happened when I told you,” Felix says slowly, “the witch didn’t do anything bad, right? But the town did things after. Right?”

His parents both look at each other, and then his mother sighs and ushers him to sit.

“Felix,” she says, sitting down next to him and taking his hand in her own, “I hope you understand. We’ve always lived under threats from the witches of the woods. Ever since the ancient days they’ve been there and cursed our crops one year and our livestock the next. Peace was tried to be upheld, but it wasn’t possible. Witches are ill omens.”

“That doesn’t sound right,” Felix protests, “surely they aren’t really that bad?”

“Do you remember Farmer Shin’s son?” his father asks abruptly.

Felix squints. “I… think so? He disappeared, right?”

“Not quite,” his father replies. “For years, even before you were born, people have gone into those woods to seek out the witches to try and remove them.”

It sounds like a glorified version of ‘kill them’, but Felix keeps quiet.

“Farmer Shin’s son went in there two years ago, with some others. His body appeared in Farmer Shin’s corn field the next day, missing his head.”

Felix’ eyes widen. Shit. Minho had mentioned that.

“Oh.” he says, voice strangled.

“Do you see?” his father asks, expression serious. “We cannot be at peace with these creatures. It’s best to ignore them, or, if need be, to be rid of them.”

“Clearly we can’t do _that_ ,” Felix says, grimacing, “if people come back without a head. That’s… father, we should just ignore them. Surely they just want to be left alone, just like we do?”

His father looks at him, brows furrowing. “It’s possible,” he says slowly. “But I wouldn’t count on it. Now, I want no more talks of witches. We have other things to focus on.”

Felix nods, though his chest hurts. Shit. What have they gotten involved with, exactly?

The moment he’s allowed to leave the house unsupervised again, he hurries over to Jisung’s house, knocking on the door. Jisung’s mother opens and smiles.

“Felix! How lovely to see you.”

“You too, Mrs. Han,” Felix replies, giving his best smile back. “Is Jisung home?”

“Oh, he’s out in the back,” she replies, “just go on ahead.”

“Thank you!”

Felix hurries around the house to find Jisung trying to mend a fence, tongue sticking out of his mouth as he concentrates.

“Jisungie!”

Jisung quickly looks up and drops the hammer and nails to the grass.

“Oh thank god, I’ve been going crazy,” Jisung sighs. “When I found out you weren’t allowed out of the house I didn’t know what to do.”

“You could leave?” Felix asks, surprised.

Jisung nods.

“My parents swallowed my story easy as pie,” he says, and then lowers his voice, “to tell you the truth, I’m not sure they really mind the witches or believe all the rumors. All my dad did was make me promise I’d replace his knife.”

“I wish I had your parents,” Felix complains.

Jisung grins, but then it fades.

“Listen,” he says, glancing towards the house, and then turns away from it, motioning for Felix to lean in closer. He does, hunching a little.

“I haven’t been able to talk to Jeongin at all. His dad shut the door in my face last time I tried.”

“Really?” Felix chews on his lip. “You know what his dad is like. Did any of the Elders come to talk to you?”

Jisung grimaces and nods. “Elder Kim did. God, I hate him.”

“Ssh,” Felix hisses and glances towards the house to make sure no one is listening, “but yeah, me too. Father called him to ours, said it was for my own good…”

He sighs, looking up at the sky and leaning against the fence.

“Are you second-guessing everything, or is that just me?”

“No, I do,” Jisung mutters after a moment, “like… I’ve never really put much thought into it, I guess. The things that have been going, feeling _sheltered_. It was always exciting to get news from other places, but it feels like there’s so much we’ve been missing.”

Felix nods. “But questioning things feels scary, too. It’s clearly going to have consequences if we pry. Elder Kim was pretty clear on that.”

“But we can’t just let things keep happening,” Jisung protests, “I don’t think I could bear it, seeing people go into the woods and _knowing_ it’s because they’re trying to find them. It’s not fair on Minho and the others. They just want to live in peace and be left alone. I can’t stand around and let them be hurt.”

“We can’t exactly do a lot,” Felix replies mildly, “they’re the ones with magic.”

He hesitates a little, and Jisung glances at him.

“What?” he asks.

“Do you remember what Minho said?” Felix asks eventually, “about the last guy from our town who came prying into the woods?”

“About sending them back without a head? Yeah.” Jisung says, shivering a little.

“My parents told me it was Farmer Shin’s son. Do you remember?”

“He went missing.” Jisung says, frowning. “They kept saying he had left. Wait, he _died_?”

“Apparently,” Felix says, hugging himself. “They’re… even if they’re not bad, they’re strong. I don’t want to get on their bad side. Maybe we should just leave them be?”

Jisung is quiet for a moment, clearly mulling it over.

“Maybe,” he agrees eventually, “but if we were to go out there again, we wouldn’t be there to hurt them, and they wouldn’t hurt us. Right?”

“It’s possible, but I wouldn’t let my guard down so fast.” Felix says. “We need to be rational about this. I say we leave them well alone unless something happens.”

“God, I hate when you’re being rational.” Jisung complains, but otherwise doesn’t protest.

Felix and Jisung try to find Jeongin the next day. They stand at the front door of his house after knocking, waiting for him or his parents to open. When the door eventually opens, it’s Jeongin’s father, who looks down at them with a frown.

“Elder Yang,” Jisung says quickly, “is Jeongin home?”

“He isn’t allowed to see anyone,” Elder Yang replies. “As you very well know.”

“When will he be allowed to see anyone?” Felix asks. “It’s been a while, is all.”

“I’ll allow it when I see fit,” Elder Yang answers. “And that’s all I’ll say about it. Be gone.”

He shuts the door in their faces.

Felix and Jisung stare at the door before glancing at each other.

“Weird,” Jisung finally says. “Come on.”

He grabs Felix’ sleeve and drags him around the house, the two of them hunching low so as not to be seen through the windows, and come to a stop under the window to Jeongin’s room. Slowly they rise and peek over the edge.

The room is apparently empty, no sign of Jeongin anywhere. Felix squints as he tries to look in all the corners, but there’s nothing.

They duck back down and leave, hurrying back to the road.

“Okay, why isn’t he in his room?” Jisung asks, running a hand through his hair.

“He could be elsewhere in the house.” Felix says, though he doesn’t know why he doesn’t believe his own words. “Do you think something happened to him?”

“Could be,” Jisung replies, “but it’s hard to believe. What would happen to him? We would know.”

“We didn’t know what happened to Farmer Shin’s son,” Felix points out dryly, “so I wouldn’t be so sure.”

And then he falters a little. Jisung comes to a halt as well, frowning.

“Felix?”

“Do you think Jeongin could have gone back?” Felix asks.

Jisung hesitates. “He wouldn’t. Not alone. Right?”

“He was really upset, knowing people have been trying to hurt them.” Felix shakes his head. “I wouldn’t put anything past him. What if he’s in trouble?”

“They’d take care of him,” Jisung shakes his head, “I’m confident they would. We can’t go back there. If we sneak out again… my parents might not be too harsh on me, but yours definitely would, _and_ Elder Kim would throw a fit.”

“I guess.” Felix mumbles. “Okay. Let’s just keep an eye and an ear out. I hope he hasn’t done anything stupid.”

“Jeongin’s got a good head on him,” Jisung encourages, “I’m sure he wouldn’t. Come on. It’ll be okay.”

Still, Felix can’t shake the worry, no matter how much he tries to reassure himself Jeongin is okay.

They go back every day to ask for Jeongin, and every day Elder Yang shuts the door in their faces, until he doesn’t even say as much as a hello before it slams shut.

Felix tries to ask his parents, but they genuinely don’t seem to know what has happened to Jeongin.

“I’ll ask Mrs. Yang at the next meeting,” his mother reassures when he asks, “I’m sure he’s fine, Felix. Maybe he got sick after staying out all night.”

“Yeah, probably,” Felix agrees, but he doesn’t believe it. Something _must_ have happened. Jeongin would find a way to contact them if he were stuck in his house all this time.

The meetings tend to happen once every month, and almost everyone attends. It’s where news are given, and everyone is updated on what will happen the coming month. They’re also incredibly _boring_ , and Felix is usually allowed to stay home when they happen, except when something extraordinary is to be announced, like a wedding or something.

It’s in three days, and Felix supposes he can wait for that long if it means he’ll find out where Jeongin is. Until then, he tries to calm his jittery nerves by spending as much time outside as possible, occasionally helping his parents out with housework but mostly hanging out with Jisung or going down to the bakery to beg for fresh treats.

At least there’s some good news. The day before the meeting, Felix hears that Chan is back to visit, and after dinner he immediately heads over to the old blacksmith’s building Chan always sets up in when he comes by. The lights are warm where they shine through the window, and he knocks, unable to hold back a grin.

Chan is somewhat of a mystery; in that he seems to be able to do everything at once. He travels a lot, coming by once a month at best, and usually just stays for a few days at a time when he does. In those days he usually trades with everyone, always having an arsenal of items in his possession. He calls himself a huntsman, always bringing back deer and boar, trading meat and fur and leather, but he also knows how to mend just about everything from a boot to a broken cart to a horse’s shoe.

He has taught Felix a lot over the years, never turning down his questions or his requests to learn. The only thing he hasn’t done is take Felix with him on his travels, always kind but firm when he says no. It’s Felix’ biggest dream to be able to go with him, and he hopes that once he turns twenty, he’ll be allowed. Chan keeps telling him he’s too young yet, and it _sucks_.

He just wants to experience something that isn’t being stuck in this town. Maybe that’s why he’s so eager to seek out things he shouldn’t.

The door opens, and Chan blinks at him before breaking out into a smile.

“Felix! Hey!”

He immediately pulls Felix into a big bear hug, and Felix hugs back, feeling some of his restlessness settle when he feels Chan’s arms around him.

“Hi Chan.”

Chan pulls back and keeps beaming down at him. “You’ve grown!”

“It’s been, what, two months?” Felix replies. “I can’t have grown that much.”

“I don’t know,” Chan says with a shrug, “there’s something about you, I suppose. Come in, come in. I figured you’d come by sooner rather than later.”

“Can you blame me?” Felix replies as he follows Chan inside and lets the door swing shut. “I’ve missed you. It’s been so boring without you here.”

“Well, it sounds like you went on quite an adventure, so I don’t know about that.” Chan replies and winks his way.

“Huh? How did you know?” Felix asks, brows drawing together in a frown.

“Word gets around town,” Chan replies and ushers him to sit by a table. “The lady down at the shop was very eager to make sure I learned everything that’s happened since my last visit.”

Chan busies himself with something, and Felix looks around. The room is almost too hot as it always is, warmed by the heavy furnace that’s been left sitting in the corner. It looks like Chan has made himself at home quickly, tools and items scattered about, an animal skin draped over a chair close to the fire to dry.

He comes back, pushing a mug towards Felix. “Try this,” he says, “it’s supposed to be really good.”

“What is it?” Felix asks, sniffing suspiciously at the contents. It smells kind of spicy and warm.

“Hell if I know,” Chan admits, “I got it from a merchant a few towns over. It’s some new kind of brew. It’s fine, I promise. Non-alcoholic, though it’s kind of like mulled wine, if I had to compare.”

Felix sips and grimaces initially at the taste. “It’s not… bad.”

Chan laughs and drinks from his own mug. “You don’t have to drink it, I just wanted to introduce you to something new.”

Felix smiles, but pushes the cup a little away. The scent is really nice, but the taste could do with some improvement.

“Tell me,” Chan says then, and he looks knowing as Felix meets his eye. “Whose idea was it to go into the woods? I didn’t think you’d be the type.”

“It was Jisung’s,” Felix admits, “not that me or Jeongin disagreed. We thought it would be fine, we didn’t think we would get lost so quickly.”

“Did you really stay under a tree all night?” Chan wonders. Felix tries to gauge what he’s really thinking, but he can’t.

“You won’t get in trouble,” Chan adds, and his expression turns more comforting. “It just seems unlike you.”

“We didn’t,” Felix sighs. “Look. Can I tell you something? A secret?”

Chan nods. “You can trust me.”

Felix does. Chan is the only adult person in his life who doesn’t expect things of him or who holds him to certain standards. He always pushes Felix to do his best and live freely, and Felix appreciates it a lot. He doesn’t think he trusts anyone more, other than Jisung and Jeongin.

“I do. Look… so we went to look for the witches in the woods. Things… happened.”

“Did you find them?” Chan asks, and Felix nods.

“Yes. Well, they found us. Or the familiar did. Did you know witches have familiars? It’s a companion. He was really nice even if he was terrifying at first.”

Chan laughs. “I know, I know.”

Felix smiles, but then catches himself, eyes widening a little. “Wait, shit. I shouldn’t be telling you any of this! Forget I said anything!”

It was what got everyone into trouble last time, and here he is going around spilling everything just because Chan is his friend. No wonder Hyunjin seemed to absolutely loathe him, Christ.

“Relax,” Chan tells him, covering his hand with his own. “I know them. You’re not hurting anyone by telling me this.”

Felix frowns. “You do?”

“Yes,” Chan nods, “I trade with them regularly.”

Felix hesitates still. “What are their names?” he asks.

Chan looks at him for a moment, before a small smile appears. “It’s good you don’t blindly believe me. They’re Minho, Hyunjin and Seungmin. The familiar is Changbin. They live in a cottage. Minho is a hedge witch, and he helped mend your ankle.”

Felix blinks at him. “You’ve met them recently?”

“Just before I came here. They told me all about your little escapade, and asked me to keep an eye on the three of you.” Chan replies easily.

Felix stares at him. “But why did you ask me about it then?”

“I just wanted to see if you’d tell me,” Chan admits. “I’m sorry for deceiving you.”

Maybe Felix should be angry, but he decides not to be. There are a lot more important things to ask, instead.

“How do you know them?” he asks, almost anxious to know. “Have you known them long? How come they don’t hate you if they don’t like humans? How did you start trading with them?”

“Hey, easy!” Chan laughs again. “One question at a time, please. I’ll tell you how I know them if you don’t interrupt.”

Felix sits up and mimes zipping his mouth shut. Chan smiles, shaking his head a little at him.

“Well, first off, I need you to understand that I’m not entirely human, either,” he says, “that’s where it all begins.”

Felix stares, mouth dropping open a little, and Chan gives him a look.

“Come on, did you really think I was human? How long have we known each other and I’ve looked the same?”

“Your hair’s been different.” Felix mumbles, feeling stupid now that he thinks about it.

“Oh, Felix,” Chan says, looking fond and exasperated at the same time. “It’s fine. Now you know. I’m not a witch, though. There’s just enough magic in me that I can live longer than you would, and I learn skills easily, but there’s little beyond that. It’s why I settled in the trading business… I figured I would do something that kept me away from getting to know people who would find out what exactly I am, while still being able to help. I wouldn’t be as shunned as a witch, but I’ve never dared to risk anything in case people don’t care about the differences between me and them.”

“Don’t people suspect?” Felix asks, unable to keep from asking questions anyway. “If you always show up looking the same?”

“Maybe,” Chan replies, “but they’ve never asked. Maybe they don’t dare to, I don’t know. I’ll take it for as long as it works.”

Felix nods slowly. Huh.

“Anyway, I met Minho, Seungmin and Hyunjin many years ago, in a seaside town several miles from here. I was still just a normal guy then.”

Felix stares at him. He’s so confused.

Chan seems to notice because he chuckles. “I’m getting to it. I met Seungmin first, actually. He was in a spot of trouble at the time. The people of the town wanted to burn him for witchcraft, apparently he had been spotted using magic. I never got in what context. I saved his life, and it nearly cost me my own. Now, because I saved his life, I automatically entered a pact in which they owed me an equally big favor in return.”

“How does that work?” Felix asks, confused.

“Magic,” Chan says with a shrug, “I don’t know enough about it and I’ve never cared to ask. It’s a big deal.”

Felix nods slowly. “Minho did say to be careful with making promises.”

Chan nods as well. “He would. It’s tricky, risky business. They decided to save me, because leaving me to die when I had saved one of their own would have consequences. The magic they used to help me was… extreme. It left traces. Maybe it’ll bleed out of me one day, but for now, it remains, and I no longer age the same I once did, nor do I tire as easily.”

He sighs. “It sounds great, but I don’t want you to be disillusioned. Magic doesn’t always work the way you want it to, and even now I struggle with it. My body wasn’t made for it, not in the way theirs are. It’s not fun.”

“Does it hurt you?” Felix asks, worried. Chan smiles slightly.

“Sometimes. But I’ve learnt to deal with it, and they help me out. They brew these potions that usually mutes any side effects, so I’m fine.”

He’ll have to take it, but Felix is still worried.

They sit in companionable silence for a while as Felix processes everything Chan has told him. His whole life feels like it’s spinning a little out of control. Is nothing as it really seems? How has he been so goddamn blind?

“Hey, Chan?” he asks eventually.

Chan has migrated across the room, working on something with his tools while he waits for Felix to get his thoughts back into order.

“Hm?”

“You said you saw the witches just before arriving here. Did you happen to see Jeongin?”

“Jeongin?” Chan looks over his shoulder. “No. Why would he be there?”

“He’s missing. Or, I don’t know. Jisung and I haven’t seen him for ages, his father shuts the door in our faces every time we try to visit and won’t say anything about him. We thought maybe he could have gone out to seek the witches again. After… after we met them, he… I don’t know. I had a bad feeling he might try to go back.”

Felix frowns down at the table, picking at a loose woodchip. “I’m really worried about him.”

“I didn’t see him,” Chan says, coming back over, putting his tools down. “They certainly made no mention of him. When they asked me to look after you guys, they meant him too, so I don’t think he was there.”

“Okay.” Felix nods a little. So where the hell is he? What has happened?

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Chan says, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. “His dad is an Elder, right? I’m sure he’s just worried you guys will go wandering off again. Jeongin’ll be alright.”

“I hope you’re right.” Felix says, leaning into the touch. “I should probably get going, it’s late. Thank you for being so open with me. Not just today, but every time you’re here. I appreciate it a lot.”

He looks up, and Chan looks a little sad, but he nods. “Of course. I have no reason to lie to you, or turn you away. I’m happy you feel like you can come to me. Get home safely, and come see me tomorrow, alright?”

Felix nods and gets to his feet, and Chan walks him over to the door.

“And don’t do anything stupid.” Chan adds as a warning as he steps outside. “You were lucky that night. The woods aren’t safe.”

“I know, I know,” Felix sighs. “I get it, _dad_.”

Chan grins and ruffles his hair. “Good. Have a good night.”

Felix waves and heads back home, determination filling him as he goes. He won’t do anything stupid tonight, but tomorrow he needs to find Jisung as quickly as possible. He’s not going to let things go just like that.

He’ll find Jeongin and figure out the truth, one way or another.

The next day he explains everything to Jisung, who listens with wide eyes and awe on his face.

“I knew it!” he exclaims triumphantly when Felix finishes his story, “I knew he wasn’t normal. No normal guy can be that handsome.”

Felix stares at him, and Jisung grins sheepishly. “I mean… You’ve seen his arms.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear any of that,” Felix says, shaking his head. “But focus, Jisung. He said he didn’t see Jeongin or anything, but how can we really know? What if they’re hiding something?”

“What can we do though, if even if they are?” Jisung asks, some of his excitement dropping. “We can’t just go out there and ask.”

Felix is quiet for a moment, thinking.

“We could go by Jeongin’s house later, though,” he says, “and see if he’s there.”

“We’ll get the door shut in our faces again,” Jisung protests, “we’ve been there a million times already. The only way we can find out is if nobody’s home and we break in.”

He pauses as Felix lights up. “No, nope. No way. We’re not going to break into Jeongin’s house during the meeting today, no way.”

“It’s a genius plan, though,” Felix says. “I mean, no, we won’t break in, not really. We’ll just knock and see if he responds when his parents aren’t there. That’s not illegal.”

Jisung sighs, running a hand through his hair. “I’m gonna go gray early because of you, I swear.”

“Need I remind you it was _your_ idea to go into the woods in the first place?” Felix asks dryly. “If anything you’re giving yourself gray hair.”

Jisung makes a face, but eventually agrees.

That night, once they’re sure the meeting has begun and everybody of importance should be in the town hall rather than at home, they hurry down to Jeongin’s house.

It’s dark and seems empty, but Jisung knocks anyway.

“Jeongin?” he calls. “Are you there? It’s Jisung and Felix!”

They wait with bated breath, but there’s nothing. No sound, no movement through the windows.

“Jeongin!” Jisung calls, knocking again. “It’s okay! You can trust us!”

Still nothing. They walk around the house and look through all the windows they can see, but the home seems practically abandoned. Jeongin’s room looks as empty as it had the last time they were there. It’s too dark to see much, but they would be able to spot him if he were there. He wouldn’t just sit around in the dark.

“I don’t like this,” Felix says as they gather by the front door again. “Something must have happened.”

Jisung chews on his lip, looking down the street. “Do you think his dad has done something?”

“Like hurt him?” Felix frowns. “He wouldn’t. He may be an asshole, but he’s not like that. He can’t be.”

“Maybe he thinks Jeongin got cursed by witches,” Jisung suggest, laughing a little nervously. “You never know. With the bullshit Elder Kim was spewing I wouldn’t put it past them.”

“I think it’s time we did go back,” Felix says after a moment. “Chan said not to, but… I think that’s the only way we’re getting answers.”

Jisung nods, though he looks pale even as he steels himself.

“You’re right. And even if it turns out we’re wrong, maybe they can help us look for him.”

Felix nods as well. They don’t really think it through, heading straight towards the woods and the path leading to the broken oak. They need to hurry; Felix can feel it.

However, standing in front of the oak when they reach it, is Chan.

He’s looking at them, arms crossed over his chest.

“And where exactly do the two of you think you’re going?”

Felix swallows hard.

“We’re going to find the witches and ask for their help,” Jisung says before he can speak up. “We need to find Jeongin.”

Chan regards them for a long moment.

“You really think he’s in trouble?” he finally asks.

They both nod quickly.

“This is so unlike him,” Felix argues quietly. “Something must have happened to him. They can help us find him, surely. Maybe they won’t want to, but we have to ask.”

Chan eyes them up for another long while before sighing, arms falling to his sides.

“Alright. I’ll take you to them. You’re ill-equipped to go out there on your own.”

“You will?” Jisung asks, surprised.

Chan smiles slightly. “Even if I didn’t, you would still go there, wouldn’t you? At least this way I can make sure you’ll get there safely.”

That’s true. Maybe they should have gone by their homes to try and bring something. It’s bound to get freezing, and what if they did get lost again?

They just offer their best smiles and Chan shakes his head at them.

“You’re going to send me into an early grave.” he mutters, but waves at them to follow him.

They follow close behind him, and he seems to be doing something without either of them being able to see exactly what. Suddenly a light appears, and they realize he’s lit a lamp, holding it up in front of them.

“Never go in here without something to light your path,” he warns, “and stick close to my back. I don’t want to lose either of you on the way.”

They walk mostly in silence. The light never seems to burn out, the flame dancing within the glass and metal, and when Felix looks closer it doesn’t look like there’s a candle inside at all.

The woods seem to close in around them, but it feels a lot safer than when they were here last time, what with Chan being there and having an actual light with them. Felix and Jisung hold hands the whole way, afraid of losing each other. It feels like if they let go, the trees will drag them away from each other.

Suddenly a screech echoes through the woods, just like the first time. Felix and Jisung both freeze in place, and Chan pauses as well, looking around.

“Come,” he says, glancing at them over his shoulder, “we can’t stop.”

“What _is_ that?” Jisung wants to know, shivering. “It sounds so awful. We heard it last time too.”

“There are many creatures in these woods,” Chan replies, “and most of them aren’t fond of humans. It’s a warning to get out.”

“And if we _don’t_ get out?” Felix asks, looking around nervously, heart thudding painfully in his chest.

“I don’t want to think about that,” Chan replies, “come, quickly now. We’re not far.”

They speed up, and Felix once again feels like he’s being hunted. He glances over his shoulder and for a split moment he thinks he sees something hideous just behind them, leathery wings and sharp claws, and then the next moment they’re stumbling into the clearing.

Jisung trips and falls, dragging Felix with him, and they lie on the grass panting, trying to catch their breaths.

Chan hunches down over them and smiles a little, shaking his head. “Good thing you didn’t go out here alone.” he says.

“Right, we get it,” Felix grunts. “It was stupid. We’ve heard it a million times.”

“And you’ll hear it a million more.” Chan replies, then pulls them both to their feet.

They walk the remaining paces over to the cottage, where Chan knocks on the door, killing the flame in his lamp.

When the door opens, it’s Seungmin who stands there, looking surprised.

“Chan! Back so soon?”

“Only for a brief visit.” Chan replies and steps a little to the side. Seungmin spots Jisung and Felix, and his surprise turns into a frown.

“We need to talk to you,” Felix says, finding his courage. “All of you. Uhm… sorry for turning up unannounced.”

Seungmin regards them silently for another moment, before nodding. “Alright. We figured you would come back eventually. Come in.”

He steps back and lets all three of them inside, taking them into the living room. Minho and Hyunjin both sit around the fire, and Changbin is there in his cat form, curled up in Minho’s lap. All of them look up when they come inside, and Changbin jumps down and quickly winds around their legs, purring and rubbing his head against Jisung’s calf.

“Hi Changbin,” Jisung greets excitedly, bending down to pet him, “it’s good to see you too.”

Felix looks from Minho, who briefly smiles his way, to Hyunjin, who’s glaring at him.

“Why have you brought them here?” he asks, and Felix realizes the question is aimed at Chan. “We told you to keep an eye on them, _not_ lead them here at first opportunity.”

“They would have come even if I didn’t,” Chan replies, “I settled for the safest option. Just hear them out, Hyunjin. They’re really worried for their friend.”

“For Jeongin.” Minho muses.

Felix nods quickly, and Jisung straightens up as well.

“We were hoping you could help us find him,” Jisung tells them. “We haven’t seen him in two weeks, and we’re really worried about him. Something could have happened. We just… we know it’s a lot to ask, but… we don’t know what else to do.”

Minho and Hyunjin glance at each other, seemingly quietly communicating, before Seungmin interrupts them, walking past Felix and Jisung.

“They clearly care for him,” he says, hands on his hips. “The least we can do is ask if he wants to see them.”

Felix gasps a little. “So he _is_ here?”

“Yes.”

The new voice makes them jump, and Felix pivots to see Jeongin by the bottom of the stairs, clutching the banister. He looks pale and tired.

“Jeongin!” Jisung breathes, hurrying over to him. Jeongin flinches away from him, and Jisung stops, face falling.

“We’ve been so worried for you,” he continues, holding himself back. “We’ve tried visiting you every day, but your dad wouldn’t say anything. What’s happened? Are you okay?”

“He wouldn’t say anything because he doesn’t care,” Jeongin says bitterly. “When we returned home after staying out here that night… he made it very clear what he thinks.”

“Jeongin,” Felix says, stepping towards him too. “Did he hurt you?”

“No,” Jeongin shook his head. “Not really. It just. He was just…”

He pauses, clearly struggling.

“How about we all sit down?” Minho breaks in, and they all look towards him. He smiles a little, holding up his hands. “I think this conversation calls for us to sit.”

They end up scattered around the living room, and Hyunjin disappears into the kitchen for a few minutes, only to come back with a tray with tea. He hands a cup to everyone, and Felix glances up when he gets it, murmuring a small ‘thank you’.

Hyunjin opens his mouth, closes it again, and sighs.

“You’re welcome.” he mutters, going to take his own seat.

Felix will take what he gets, smiling a little as he glances Hyunjin’s way. Hyunjin notices and scowls slightly, but when Seungmin nudges him in the side, he finally offers one of his own, brittle but there.

Maybe not all hope is lost.

Once everybody is settled, they focus on Jeongin, who fidgets under the attention.

“I’m not sure where to start.” he mumbles.

“Any way you like,” Felix replies. “We’re your friends, Innie. You can tell us anything, we won’t judge.”

Jeongin nods a little, focusing on his hands. “I know. It’s just hard. You remember that day we got back to the town?”

They nod.

“Well, when I came back home, my dad, he… he was really angry.” Jeongin’s voice cracks a little. “He kept asking where I’d been, and he quickly came to the conclusion that I’d been out in the woods all night. He started asking all sorts of questions, accusing me of meeting up with the witches, and when that didn’t work, started accusing me of actually doing witchcraft.”

“That’s ridiculous, though,” Jisung says, confused, “like yeah, we were out here, but doing _magic_?”

“It is, but to him it seemed obvious,” Jeongin says, smiling briefly before it falls away. “He was saying all sorts of things, that you guys were bad influence, that he always knew I’d been up to something, and that he needed to expose me to everybody else, but he had to make sure I wouldn’t do it again, first of all.

We fought. Shouted a lot. I tried telling him that maybe the witches weren’t so bad, that we were wrong, that what he was saying and doing was no better than what he was accusing me – and them – of. He locked me in the house for days. I heard you come by a few times, Jisung, but I wasn’t allowed to come meet you at all.”

Jeongin sniffles, and Chan offers him a tissue. He mumbles a thank you, dragging it over his eyes. “It felt so stupid. Every time I tried to tell him he was wrong, every time I tried to discuss with him, he wouldn’t listen. He pretended I didn’t exist. Mom wasn’t much better.

A few days ago, I’d had enough. Dad talked about the town meeting and that he would bring me there so he could show everyone that I was a witch. Mom was trying to make him not to, saying they’d be shamed for it, and then they started fighting too. In the chaos of it I ran. I knew I couldn’t stay, even though I really wanted to find you guys, so I headed into the woods.”

Jeongin grimaces a little, dragging a hand through his hair.

“Anyway, I got lost again. Went right off the path, got attacked by whatever is in these woods.”

“Attacked? Are you okay?” Felix asks worriedly. Yes, Jeongin looks pale and tired, but not injured. Not anymore, at least.

“They patched me right up,” Jeongin reassures, “but it’s taking me a bit to get back on my feet.”

“Hyunjin went out and found him when we realized he was out there,” Minho says when Jeongin looks like he won’t say any more. “The woods told us he was lost and needed help.”

“Was it the winged things? The ones that scream?” Jisung asks, voice hushed.

Hyunjin nods. “Yes. I managed to fight the one attacking him off and got him back here. He’ll be okay, the healing is just taking time because the injuries were severe. In a few more days he’ll be as good as new.”

“Thank you.” Jisung says, relieved, “I’m so happy. You really scared us, Jeonginnie! We were so worried about you.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Jeongin says, cracking a smile. “I hope you guys haven’t been in too much trouble.”

“No,” Felix shakes his head. “They’ve left us mostly alone. Believed us when we said we were stuck under a tree the whole night.”

“Good.” Minho says. “Then it’s as it should be. You guys should go back home, before you’re missed too long.”

“They’re all at the town hall,” Felix says. “They’re going to be gone for hours, it’s okay.”

“Still, you shouldn’t be risking it,” Minho replies firmly.

“I’ll take them back,” Chan reassures, getting to his feet. “Now that they’ve seen Jeongin is okay, they’ll be more careful. _Right_?”

He gives them a look and Jisung and Felix sigh.

“Right.”

“You said he wasn’t here.” Felix says as he suddenly remembers, pointing an accusing finger at Chan.

“He wasn’t!” Chan protests, holding his hands up. “Or at least, not that I knew.”

“He wasn’t,” Seungmin says, putting a hand on Felix’ shoulder. “Jeongin arrived the night Chan left here, they missed each other.”

“Okay.” Felix says glumly. At least Chan didn’t lie to him, that’s nice.

“Be careful when you go back?” Jeongin asks of them, hugging the two of them before they leave. “I’m really sorry I scared you, I hope you won’t be in trouble.”

“It’s okay, you did what you had to do.” Jisung say firmly. “Just take your time and get better. It’s probably for the best that you stay here for a while, anyway.”

“When he’s healthy again we’ll figure out what to do next,” Minho says, “until then make sure you act normal. Pretend you don’t know where he is, okay? Chan, please make sure they’re alright.”

Chan nods, putting a hand to his chest. “For as long as it takes.”

Minho looks satisfied.

They’re about to leave when Hyunjin grabs a hold of Felix’ sleeve. Felix looks at him in surprise, as does Jisung and Jeongin.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Hyunjin asks, not meeting his eye, and quickly adds, “It won’t take long.”

“Sure.” Felix replies tentatively. Minho, Chan and Seungmin don’t look too worried, so he figures that if it was going to be something bad, they would be reacting more. “Lead the way.”

They walk around the side of the cottage, out of sight of the rest. Hyunjin sighs, brushing his hair behind his ear.

“It’s come to my attention that I’ve been unfairly mad at you,” he says, “and I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, you were.” he agrees bluntly, before catching himself. Probably best not to piss the witch off.

To his surprise, that makes Hyunjin smile. It disappears quickly, but it was there.

“I realize that you were too young to understand what was going on. Making you promise not to say anything and then blaming you for the consequences wasn’t fair. I hope we can start off anew.” he says, one hand fiddling with his hair, almost like he’s nervous.

“I would like that,” Felix replies, tentatively holding out a hand. “I hope we can become friends.”

Hyunjin eyes his hand, but then takes it, and they shake on it.

“What were the consequences?” Felix dares to ask when they withdraw. “Minho talked about it too, but… I would like to know.”

“It’ll only make you feel more guilty,” Hyunjin says, shaking his head. “Maybe we can talk about it later, but now isn’t a good time.”

Felix is really tired of being treated like a kid. He realizes that all of these witches, and Chan, are a lot older than they look, but come on. He can take it.

Something must show on his face, because Hyunjin quickly speaks again.

“I promise I’ll tell you,” he says, holding out his pinky finger. “How’s that? I can’t break that promise without consequences.”

“What?” Felix says, surprised. “I don’t want to get you into trouble-”

“I’m doing it willingly,” Hyunjin replies patiently. “Just agree. We’ll talk, sometime.”

Felix hesitates for another moment, but then hooks his own pinky with Hyunjin’s, and they press their thumbs together. He doesn’t feel any different, but Hyunjin nods once, like he’s confirming it.

“Alright. Come on, let’s get back to the others, you need to get going.”

The others are all lingering around, waiting for them. Minho pats Hyunjin on the back, and Felix joins Jisung and Chan where they’re standing.

“We’ll see you again soon,” Minho says, “we’ll let you know when Jeongin is well again.”

“Thank you for taking care of him, and of us!” Jisung says, smiling, and waves at Changbin where he’s curled up in Seungmin’s arms. He lazily waves a paw in return.

Jeongin waves at them from the doorway, and is ushered back inside once they start to leave. Felix looks back for as long as he can, and then has to focus back on the path under their feet.

Chan leads the way once again, and they don’t talk, feeling like they might attract more of the weird creatures if they do. If they attacked Jeongin, and came after the three of them on their way to the cottage, it’s likely they’ll be in danger on the way back as well. Chan has lit the lamp once more, and the warm glow feels safe.

Hopefully, they can get back to the town before anyone notices they’ve been gone.

Reaching the edge of the town, they part ways, knowing that’ll be safer.

Felix hurries home, pushing the door open and entering quickly, leaning back against it when it shuts. Okay. So far so good. He takes a deep breath and hopes Jisung makes it home alright, too, and means to head to his room, when;

“Felix.”

He freezes in place, finally noticing his parents on the sofa, waiting for him. His mother sits with her hands folded in her lap, her expression torn.

“Mother,” he manages, “father. Uhm. Hi.”

“Where have you been, Felix?” his father asks, seemingly calm.

“Just with Jisung,” Felix mumbles, fidgeting in place. “We were just hanging out together, since everyone else were at the meeting.”

“Is that so?” a new voice says, and Felix feels his stomach sink when Elder Kim comes out of the kitchen, looking right at home. “So it’s not true that you were seen going into the forests with that vagabond, is it?”

“No,” Felix chokes out, unconvincing. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. “We were just-”

“Oh, I know what it is you were doing,” Elder Kim says, coming to stand behind his parents, “you’ve been cavorting with witches. I was inclined not to believe Elder Yang when he was accusing his son of doing the same, but seeing as he’s your best friend, it seems I was wrong.”

“We’re not-”

“What lies have they fed you?” Elder Kim asks. “Have they been telling you not to trust us? To question what we have taught you?”

“No-”

“And now they’ve kidnapped Elder Yang’s son! Turned him to their side, to conspire against us. Who is next? You’re already well on your way, Felix.”

His mother lets out a sob, covering her face.

“It’s not true!” Felix protests, feeling at a loss. “It’s not! Mother! Don’t believe him, he’s lying! I’m not doing anything like that.”

Elder Kim means to speak, but is interrupted when someone knocks on the door. “Come in!” he calls, and a moment later Elder Yang and another Elder walk in, dragging Jisung with them, Jisung’s father right on their heel.

“What is the meaning of this?” Jisung’s father thunders, looking around the room. Jisung meets Felix’ eye, his own eyes wide, face pale. “Elder Kim! Why is my son being accused of treason? Why are we here?”

He looks at Felix, then to his parents, and then to Elder Kim.

“What is happening here?”

“Your son, and Felix here, are both in league with the witches of the woods,” Elder Kim says, voice as calm as though he is speaking of the weather. “And so is Elder Yang’s son. They’ve already got him in their grasp, and it’s only a question of time when Jisung and Felix are going to be next.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Jisung’s father protests. “Why would they do such a thing?”

Jisung swallows hard, pulling his arm free from Elder Yang’s grip. He looks at Felix again, and Felix has no time to stop him before he speaks.

“Yeah, I’ve met them.” he says.

Everyone falls quiet as they look at him with some surprise. Felix closes his eyes briefly. _Shit_.

“I beg your pardon?” Elder Kim says, raising an eyebrow.

Jisung raises his own. “So beg.”

“Jisung!” his father hisses, looking warily around at the three Elders in the room.

“Excuse me?!” Elder Yang snaps. “How dare you-”

“You’re excused.” Jisung replies, dismissing him as he meets Elder Kim head on.

“Yeah, I’ve met the witches,” he repeats, “and they’re really kind. They just want to be left in peace, to live out their days in their own home. They’re not trying to cause trouble! As it is, the only trouble here is the one _you’re_ bringing to _their_ doorstep!”

“Jisung!” his father says again, but doesn’t try to actually stop him, looking both amazed and horrified. Felix’ mother has put her hand over her mouth, shocked, and his father looks like he’s about to keel over.

Felix feels both proud of Jisung and terrified for him at the same time.

“The people you’ve sent after them have only met their end because they tried to hurt them,” Jisung continues hotly. “They’ve helped us! Took us in when we got lost and helped us back here safely. They took Jeongin in after he got hurt escaping from _his_ torment!”

He points an accusing finger towards Elder Yang, then closes his hands into fists, clearly worked up. “You hate them because you’re scared of them! They’re different than you, and that’s the only reason-”

Elder Yang strikes him across the face.

Jisung stumbles, voice cut off, and puts a shaky hand to his cheek. His father spins around, looking thunderous.

“How dare you lay a hand on my son!”

Elder Yang straightens himself up. “Are you hearing what he’s saying? He’s accusing-”

“I don’t care!” Jisung’s father snaps. “You do _not_ hurt my son!”

Things descend into a chaos, and Felix grabs Jisung, pulling him close.

“Are you okay?” he asks frantically.

Jisung nods and grins, even though it makes him wince. “Yeah. Holy shit.”

Around them, everyone is yelling and raising their voices. Only Felix’ mother hasn’t joined, her wide eyes meeting Felix’.

“ _Go_.” she mouths.

Felix looks at her in confusion, and her eyes dart towards the door. He turns his head to look, to see it’s open. Looking back, she smiles slightly, even if she looks sad.

“ _Go!_ ” she mouths again, tossing her head a little towards the door.

Felix swallows hard and nods, then grips Jisung’s arm and pulls him along as he makes a dash for the door. Jisung stumbles briefly before getting his feet in order, and they race outside.

“Hey!” someone snaps. “Come back here!”

Felix doesn’t look back. There’s more people out in the street, clearly having heard the commotion, and they stare and murmur. He doesn’t stop to look at them, or to hear what they have to say, just pulls Jisung along. They need to go somewhere, but _where_?

“What do we do?” Jisung asks frantically.

“I don’t know!” Felix replies, looking around. Can they risk going back into the woods? “Holy shit, Jisung! I’ve never seen you like that!”

“Me neither,” Jisung says, looking surprised at himself. “Holy shit, I was nearly peeing myself. But I had to!”

“It was great.” Felix says, elated, before there’s another angry shout behind them that pulls them back to reality.

“Shit, okay, go!”

“Go where?!”

“I don’t know-”

“Felix! Jisung!” a voice calls.

They spot Chan rushing towards them and slow down.

“What did you do?” he asks when he gets close enough, panting a little. “Half the town is in an uproar all of a sudden.”

He looks between them, then glances past them quickly. “What did you say to them?”

“We had no choice,” Felix says, shaking his head, “when I got home, Elder Kim was there-”

“And Elder Yang _and_ Elder Bom were at mine!” Jisung says, “they dragged me to Felix’, accusing me of magic and witchery!”

“And now we _need_ to go.” Felix finishes insistently.

Chan looks at them for another long moment, before nodding. “Alright. But they’ll comb those woods for you. Eventually they will find you.”

“We don’t have anywhere else we can go,” Jisung says, looking behind them. “We can ask forgiveness later. They might be too scared to follow, and if they do, the wards should keep them out for a while.”

Chan hesitates for another moment, before nodding. “Follow me.”

He leads them around the houses and- towards the town again, rather than the woods.

“Where are we going?” Felix asks, confused. “This is the wrong way!”

“I need to get some things,” Chan replies, “it’ll be quick. Just stay quiet and in the shadows.”

It’s tense as they half-jog towards the blacksmith shop, but they make it there unseen. It probably won’t be long before someone comes to search the place, but for now it’s quiet. Chan makes the two of them wait outside while he ducks inside to get whatever it is he needs. They hear voices, suddenly, distant, but getting closer.

“Chan!” Jisung hisses. “Hurry!”

“One moment!” Chan responds. They hear something clang as it hits the floor and a low curse. The voices get louder.

“Chan!” Felix says, looking around a little desperately. “We need to go!”

A few more tense seconds pass, and then Chan comes back out, holding a bag that he slings over his shoulder.

“Come on!”

They run towards the wood and are halfway across the field between it and the town when there’s a distant shout as someone spots them.

They don’t stop to look, just keep running. Chan forgoes lighting the path this time, they can’t risk being spotted, and Felix only hopes that he knows the way well enough that a light isn’t needed. The woods seem eerily quiet around them as they rush through the trees, the only sound being that of their feet and labored breathing.

Chan doesn’t seem to be having as hard a time as Felix and Jisung do, which must have to do with the magic in him, and he tries to keep them on their feet.

“Okay,” he finally says, slowing down a little, “I think we’re safe to go a little slower from here. Careful. Do _not_ look behind you.”

They don’t dare to. Felix keeps his eyes firmly on his feet. It’s really hard to see in the dark.

Chan stops, and Felix almost walks into him.

“Why are we stopping?” Jisung asks, sounding scared. “We can’t stop now.”

“Just a moment.” Chan grunts and digs around the bag he brought, pulling out something. Felix can’t see what it is he does, but he feels a sense of calm settle around them a moment later.

“There. That should help.”

“What did you do?” Felix asks, curious despite the situation they’re in.

“Just a bit of cloaking magic,” Chan replies, “it’ll help since we can’t go on with a light. I don’t have a lot of it, but it should get us to our destination.”

They start going again, no longer running at least. Felix desperately wants to look back to see if any of the townsfolk have been able to follow them, but Chan’s warning still rings clear in his mind, so he doesn’t. It almost physically hurts to keep his gaze trained ahead. He remembers Changbin saying that humans generally shouldn’t be able to walk that far into the woods, and he really hopes that’s still the case.

“What’s that smell?” Jisung suddenly asks.

Felix blinks in confusion and stops. “What smell?”

Jisung has stopped too and is sniffing the air. Chan turns around, raising his head a little, and then his eyes widen.

“Oh _no_.”

“What is it?” Felix asks a little impatiently.

There’s a faint breeze, and that’s when he smells it.

Smoke.

Chan’s warning forgotten, he looks around wildly.

“Is something burning?!”

Chan chews on his lip, and then pushes the two of them ahead of him.

“I need you two to run as fast as you can. Run straight ahead and think of them; how you really want to find them.”

He’s speaking urgently, and for every second it feels like the smell of smoke is getting stronger. Felix heart’ thumps wildly in his chest. Have the townspeople really set the woods on _fire_? He can hardly believe it, hands going clammy, his ears ringing.

If they’ve set the woods on fire… well-knowing that Felix, Jisung and Chan are in there, that Hyunjin, Minho, Seungmin and Changbin are, not to speak of all the wildlife they will be killing… the innate magic within they’ll be killing…

Felix wants to throw up.

“Go!” Chan shoves them.

“What are you going to do?” Jisung asks, stumbling forward.

“I don’t know yet,” Chan admits, “I’ll figure something out. Find them!”

Jisung grabs Felix’ arm and drags him along, and Felix wants to say something, beg Chan to just come with them, but he can’t make his voice work. Chan’s eyes meet his and he smiles slightly and nods once, like he knows, before Jisung tugs on Felix’ arm again and he’s forced to turn around.

They run.

Felix keeps a mantra going on in his head, thinking of the cottage, of the need to find them before it’s too late, of needing to save them if he can. He feels like he’s flying across the forest floor, his feet barely touching the ground. Jisung is just ahead of him, and Felix hopes with all his might they’ll make it in time.

It feels like they cross into the clearing within one breath and the next. Felix stumbles, collapsing to his knees, just as Changbin seems to materialize out of nowhere, catching Jisung in his arms.

“Changbin,” Felix wheezes, “the woods-”

“We know.” Changbin says, helping Jisung sit down.

Behind him, Felix can see Seungmin helping Minho out through the door. Minho seems to be struggling to walk, an arm around his middle. Seungmin helps Minho sit and then darts back inside.

“Chan is still out there,” Jisung says, grasping Changbin’s arm. “He was going to try to… I don’t know, he sent us ahead, I think he wanted to try to stop it.”

“That idiot.” Changbin growls, raking a stressed hand through his hair. “Okay. Just sit here, I’ll be right back.”

He hurries over to where Minho sits, talking to him. Minho turns his head to look at them, but Felix can’t interpret his expression from here. He’s struck by guilt. This is all their fault. If they had stayed away, none of this would be happening.

He ignores the quiet whisper in his mind that this was inevitable.

Changbin disappears into the house too, and Felix struggles to his feet and pulls Jisung up with him, the two of them jogging over to Minho.

“Are you hurt?” Jisung asks him worriedly. Minho smiles, though it’s more pained than genuine.

“These are my woods,” he grunts, wiggling his fingers. His fingertips are blackened, charred, and Felix stares in horror, “I’m trying to-”

He winces, but forces himself up onto his knees. “I’m trying to keep everything under control. I’m not doing a particularly good job.”

“How can we help?” Felix asks, swallowing hard.

“Tell me what happened since you left.” Minho requests, bracing himself with a hand against the ground. “What went wrong?”

Felix and Jisung quickly tell him, while Hyunjin, Seungmin and Changbin flit around the house, occasionally visible in the windows or the doorway. Felix has no idea what they’re doing, but he’s jittery. They need to help Chan.

Minho listens to their story, expression inscrutable, and finally nods to himself.

“Well,” he says, taking a deep breath and wincing again, “it was bound to happen eventually. I just didn’t think it would be so soon. Can you imagine, humans trying to destroy everything I hold dear to my heart? A pathetic last resort.”

He spits on the ground and forces himself to his feet.

“I’m sorry.” Felix whispers.

Minho looks at him for a long moment, but then turns away. Felix’ heart breaks a little.

“We need to hurry!” he barks instead. Changbin and Seungmin come out of the house first, both with a satchel each.

“I’m fairly sure we got everything.” Seungmin says. “We just need to get close enough.”

Jeongin is next, eyes wide as he spots Felix and Jisung.

“You’re here!” he says, pulling both of them into a hug. “I can’t believe what’s happening – Minho just _collapsed_ -”

“Okay, _thank you_ , Jeongin,” Minho cuts him off, “let’s not mention that bit. Stay with them, okay?”

At least he’s apparently got a soft side for Jeongin, despite apparently hating Felix and Jisung at the moment.

Hyunjin finally comes out too, cradling something in his palm. “I think I did it!”

“That has to be good enough.” Minho says. “Changbin, I want you to go find Chan. Stop whatever reckless heroism act he’s doing and get him the hell out of there before he’s hurt. Hyunjin, Seungmin, we need to get as close to the fire as we can. If they try to stop us… kill them.”

Jisung chokes a little. Minho doesn’t spare him a look.

“And them?” Seungmin asks, looking at the three humans. “We can’t leave them here.”

“They can follow.” Minho says, visibly forcing himself to distance himself from whatever pain he feels. “If they can keep up. Come on.”

Changbin dashes off into the woods, shifting mid-leap into the shape of a cat.

Felix, Jisung and Jeongin follow Minho, Seungmin and Hyunjin as close as they manage without getting in the way. Felix chances a glance upwards and sees the sky is tinted orange in the direction of where the town lies. He can’t believe this is really happening. He’s terrified, holding onto Jisung and Jeongin’s hands tightly. Part of him wants to wake up and find out it’s all a nightmare.

The smell of smoke gets thicker and thicker as they go. The air is getting warmer too, even though they can’t see the fire just yet.

Suddenly Changbin and Chan appear. Chan’s got ash streaked across his face, and his hand, when he holds it out to stop any of them from attacking, is blistered.

“Wait!” he says hurriedly, a little out of breath. He stinks of smoke. “Minho, the winds have shifted. The fire is headed towards the town.”

“What?” Jisung breathes.

Minho is silent.

“So let it.” he says. “We can raise a barrier, make sure it doesn’t go further into the woods until it dies away.”

“But our families,” Jisung protests, “our homes-”

“They should have thought about that before doing something so foolish, then!” Minho snarls, turning towards the three of them. Jisung cowers away from him. “They’ve been trying to destroy my home – _my_ family – for years! They’re getting what they deserve.”

He pants a little, leaning heavily on Seungmin.

“I’m _tired_ ,” he says, and he sounds it, “I want it to be over for good. Let the flames consume them for all I care.”

“Minho,” Hyunjin says, voice careful. “Maybe we should help them-”

“And what?” Minho retorts. “Get hanged in return? Get the blame for this, too? No, Hyunjin.”

Hyunjin chews on his lip for a moment and then braces himself, straightening up as best he can.

“When I messed up all those years ago and got us hounded anew, you told me not to blame the child I made a pact with. You told me he was innocent, and it wasn’t his fault, but the fault of those who were his elders. So many of those who live in that town… they could be innocent too. There _must_ be those who don’t hate us, or fear us. The Elders in that town… if it’s anyone’s fault, it’s theirs. Not Jeongin, or Jisung, or Felix. Not those who just want to live in peace.”

Hyunjin glances at the three of them.

“Right?” he asks a little desperately. “ _Tell me_ there are those who don’t hate us.”

“People are scared,” Jeongin says, swallowing hard, “many of them… they do fear you. Fear the things they don’t know. But they’ve been fed the same hateful propaganda for years. If you do this, if you stop the fires, if you show that you mean no harm, I think they would be swayed. Some will still cling to their beliefs, but most… hopefully… would see you with new eyes.”

“It’s flimsy at best,” Minho says, adamant, “there’s no guarantee.”

“But it’s the best we’ve got,” Seungmin says, clasping his arm. “Minho, we have to try. If it doesn’t work, you have my permission to level the entire town.”

Minho smiles faintly.

He looks at Felix, Jisung and Jeongin for a long moment, then at Chan and Changbin, and finally at Hyunjin and Seungmin.

Then he sighs, slumping a little. “Very well.”

He stands on his own feet with some effort. “We need to hurry. It’s not far. When we get there, we’ll try to get the three of you through to the other side.”

He looks at the three humans. “Try to convince them we’re there to help. I would like to not get shot at sight.”

The three of them nod, and then they hurry onwards.

The heat starts to get overbearing, tiny sparks of fire blistering against their skin, the smoke thickening around them. The flames aren’t large at first, but the closer they get the more they start to rage above them. They’ve licked their ways up the trees, scorched the ground, and threaten to consume everything in their path.

“Seungmin!” Minho shouts.

“I’ve got it!” Seungmin shouts back.

He raises his hands, and the air around them seems to clear. The fires are pushed away from them, just enough to let them pass through unscathed. Chan pushes Felix, Jeongin and Jisung to walk in the middle, and it’s a terrifying display of a natural force and Seungmin’s power on display. It’s clearly not easy, Seungmin’s arms shake where he’s got them raised in front of him.

Felix thinks he can hear shouts and a bell going off, and recognizes that it’s the town’s church bell being run to warn of the fire and make people evacuate.

They come through on the other side, and Seungmin dispels the barrier around them once they’re safely away from the fire. The flames are raging, scorching the grass, starting to make its way towards the town. People are running back and forth, trying to throw water from the wells on it, but it helps little.

Only rain can help them now.

Or a set of powerful witches and their companions.

“Hyunjin, Seungmin, with me,” Minho orders, “I need you to feed your magic to me. Chan, Changbin, protect us.”

They start to set up, Hyunjin and Seungmin gripping onto Minho’s arms as he raises them. Felix wants to watch, but he knows they need to go.

“I need to find my dad!” Jisung shouts over the noise of someone screaming. “I have to make sure he’s okay!”

Felix and Jeongin both nod, and he runs towards the town.

“I think we need to find the Elders,” Jeongin says, face pale. “My dad, Elder Kim… we have to convince them to let Minho and the rest work.”

“Come on,” Felix says, taking his hand, “we’ll find them.”

They run towards the town as well, running past people who are still frantically trying to quench the flames, searching for the ones they really seek.

“Where the hell are they?” Felix asks as they get all the way into town, covering his mouth and nose with his sleeve. The smoke is thick, eyes stinging, the wind threatening to push the fire ever closer. “Can you see them?”

“No!” Jeongin replies, scanning every which way. “We have to find them and then get back! If they’re left unprotected, who knows what will happen?”

“I’m sure they’ll be okay,” Felix replies, a little dubious. “Come on, maybe someone is gathered in the town hall-”

“Jeongin! Felix!”

They both quickly look up to see Jisung come running back towards them, his father just on his heels.

“Big trouble,” Jisung gasps, “where are they?”

“The Elders?”

“No! Minho and them!” Jisung replies, dragging a stressed hand through his hair. “Dad says all the Elders have gathered in the town hall. They’re refusing to help, and are saying the fire started because of the witches.”

“Which is most certainly untrue,” Jisung’s father says, expression serious. He’s got soot on his cheek and hands. “I’ve tried to rally them to help, but they refuse. The townsfolk believe their nonsense, too.”

“I hate them,” Jeongin says viciously, tears streaming down his cheeks, though whether it’s from emotion or the smoke is hard to say. “They can’t just sit there!”

“Do you think we can convince them?” Jisung asks, looking at Felix, “if we can convince them that the witches are helping, then surely-”

Felix feels the burden of responsibility settle on his shoulders, and it feels heavy. But what else can they do? He’ll bear that burden if it means it will help.

“Come on,” he says and starts heading towards the town hall. They follow right on his heel.

“Mr. Han, how many are gathered there?”

“Too many,” he replies with a sigh, “mostly women and children, though some of the women are out there trying to douse the fires too. And all the Elders, of course.”

Felix nods. Good. It’ll make things easier if as many as possible are present.

They burst through the doors of the town hall, and he momentarily falters. There are _a lot_ of people.

“Felix!” his mother cries and comes running towards him, gathering him in her arms. “Oh thank goodness! Are you unharmed?”

She puts him at arm’s length to study him, her expression frantic.

“I’m fine, mother,” Felix reassures quickly, “I’m okay. Look, I need to-”

“Jeongin!” Elder Yang booms.

The entire room falls silent. Elder Yang rises, pointing a shaking finger at Jeongin. “This is your fault. You along with those creatures.”

“No,” Jeongin spits back. Jisung’s father quickly puts a hand on his shoulder to hold him back. “This is your fault, dad! You and all the other cowards over there with you!”

“Well I’ve never-” Elder Bom begins.

Elder Yang waves for him to be quiet.

“Everyone!” Felix shouts before people can start getting into it. He carefully gets up on the nearest table. “I need everyone to listen! Uhm, please.” he adds quickly.

“Right now, the fire is threatening to reach this town. If it does, we’re all screwed. Hiding in here won’t help. _However_!”

He has to raise his voice when one of the Elders tries to speak over him.

“However! The witches of the woods – the people you have been pushed into fearing so much – are trying to help.”

People start to murmur, staring at him, and he tries his best not to falter.

“They’re using their magic to help! Not to harm. Despite having been stalked and harassed and attacked for years, they’re _helping_ us! Because in the end, all they want is to be left in peace. They want no quarrel with us, and they never have! The real perpetrators here are the Elders who are using you as shields!”

He takes a deep breath, not sure if he’s getting through to anyone. Who’s inclined to believe him, rather than the Elders who have been leading this town for years upon years?

“It is true!” Jisung’s father steps up to the table, standing next to it. He commands some respect, and Felix feels a small spire of hope. “Did they not say they would smoke the witches out of the woods? Did Elder Kim not light the torch? Why are we blaming those who are helping us, rather than the real criminals?”

“If we go to the wood’s edge right now, you’ll see for yourself,” Felix adds quickly, “you can see with your own eye that the witches are not the enemy. They took Jeongin in, when he was forced to run from his own home because _his own father_ treated him like a devil’s child! And here he stands, whole and hale!”

Jeongin waves a hand carefully, not happy about the attention on him when everyone turns to stare at him instead.

“Well,” Elder Yang splutters. “So maybe we started the fire, but the flames turning on us must have been the work of the witches!”

“It’s called wind.” Jisung snaps. “Admit to your own mistakes.”

Elder Yang falls silent.

The people are talking to each other in hushed tones, some with doubt, some with confusion.

“And,” Felix says, a little hesitant, “I think we need everyone to help carry buckets of water. Those who are working must be exhausted. If we all can help, then we will make the witches’ work easier. Please. Can we not work together?”

Silence.

Felix falters. He kind of wants to cry, but he nods a little to himself, hopping down from the table.

“We need to go back,” he tells Jisung and Jeongin, throat tight. “So we can help them.”

Jisung and Jeongin both nod, determined, and they head for the doors when-

“I’ll come with.”

Felix turns in surprise to see his mother push her sleeves up.

“Mother-”

“If your mother is going, I am too,” his father says, putting a hand on her back. “You’re right, Felix. We need to help in any way we can.”

And with that more and more people rise. They head out the doors, and Felix feels the anxiety leave him like an unwinding knot. Maybe it’ll be okay.

“Where’s Elder Kim?” Jisung suddenly hisses.

Felix blinks and looks around. The Elders haven’t moved at all, but Elder Kim isn’t among them.

“Why isn’t he here?” Jeongin asks, frowning. “Out of everyone, he’s the biggest coward of them all.”

Felix scans the room, and realizes there’s a back door. It strikes him like lightning from a clear sky, and the dread wells up in him.

The realization dawns on Jisung and Jeongin at the same time, and without another word the three of them run outside and back towards the woods.

The flames have gotten smaller. They’re still raging, but they’re being pushed back, contained somehow. Smoke and steam rise as one as water flies from the wells and arches over the houses to hit the fire. It must be Minho, Seungmin and Hyunjin’s work, and Felix has a small hope they’ll succeed.

The flames have taken hold of one of the houses, and people are rushing to smother them before they spread to the houses next to it.

There’s no time to stop.

“Split up!” Jisung shouts. “We have to find them! Find Elder Kim and knock him out or something, I don’t know!”

They nod and head in three different directions. He can’t see Minho, or Chan, or any of them where he last did. They must have moved to have better control.

He turns this way and that, weaving in and out between people.

“Is it true that the witches are helping us?” someone calls when he runs past.

“Yes!” he shouts back. “Have you seen them?”

“I saw one of them further down, near the mill!”

Felix rushes that way. Relief strikes when he recognizes Hyunjin. Hyunjin is indeed standing near the old mill, arms outstretched, expression utterly focused as he works. Felix can’t see the magic, but he can feel it like a thunderous pressure when he gets closer. One of the townspeople is standing next to him, pointing and saying something.

They must be working together, but Felix has no idea what it is they’re doing. He hears a distant rumble, like thunder, and wonders.

Just as he makes to call out, he spots Elder Kim.

The man is walking toward Hyunjin, and his hands he’s got a crossbow. Where on earth he got it, Felix has no idea, but he gasps, and his feet change directions. He rushes towards Elder Kim, who raises the crossbow, intent on striking Hyunjin while he has his back turned.

“No!” Felix shouts, leaping at Elder Kim. They go down in a tumble, and Elder Kim shouts as he hits the ground.

Felix pushes himself up, sitting above the man.

“Felix!” Hyunjin cries, and Felix quickly looks up. Hyunjin has turned around, his concentration broken, and his face is full of horror.

When Felix looks down, he realizes there’s a crossbow bolt sticking out of his side.

“Oh.” he manages.

Elder Kim’s face warps into one of horror as well.

“I-”

The next moment, Hyunjin is there, dragging Felix off of the man and laying him down on the ground, hands flitting anxiously as he tries to work out what to do.

The pain hits when Felix’ back touches the ground and he wheezes, tears springing to his eyes.

“Oh no, oh no,” Hyunjin whispers, setting one hand on Felix’ chest to hold him down. “I need to-”

“Hyunjin,” Felix chokes out, “you need to stop it- the fire. Stop-”

“But-” Hyunjin begins to protest.

“No,” Felix gasps, body starting to shake. God, it really fucking _hurts_.

Hyunjin swallows hard, and then he suddenly raises his hand. Felix looks up at the sky and sees a blast of red, mixing in with the orange.

“We made a promise,” Hyunjin tells him, gripping his chin. “Hey!”

Felix looks at him, leg twitching, trying to escape the pain somehow.

“We made a promise,” Hyunjin repeats sharply. “Remember? I promised to talk to you. You’re not allowed to die.”

Felix manages to nod, smiling shakily, even though he kind of wants to throw up.

Hyunjin echoes the smile with a faint one of his own, and suddenly Chan is there.

“Chan.” Felix wheezes.

Chan’s face has gone practically white. He says something, to Hyunjin maybe, because a moment later Hyunjin disappears. He continues to talk, but Felix’ ears have started ringing, and suddenly he’s seeing several Chans at once.

The pain is still there, but second rate, and Felix absently tries to reach up towards Chan to catch his doubles.

The pain in his side suddenly explodes.

Felix screams. He thinks he does. His throat hurts. Everything hurts, and he can’t see Chan anymore.

Can’t see anything at all.

He passes out, blissfully welcoming the cold dark.

His throat is parched. Felix tries to move his tongue and his mouth is so dry.

He winces, smacking his lips and absently fumbling around. Sometimes he remembers to bring a cup of water with him when he goes to bed.

He only hits air, and he squints an eye open, trying to blink away his blurry eyesight.

He’s definitely not in his bedroom.

Felix blinks at the numerous beds he can see, some occupied and some not. People from the town are all over the place. Some seem to be talking, others sleeping.

There’s a dull ache along his body, and he smooths a hand down his stomach until he hits a thick padding. Forcing himself to sit up slightly, he sees that bandages wound around his waist, white except for a tinge of red centered around the area where it aches the most.

He rests a hand over the spot and lays back down, confused.

What had happened? Why is he in the town’s infirmary?

Steps approach and he realizes someone is coming to stand next to his bed. Looking up, he’s met by Chan’s surprised face.

Seeing him brings all of it back in a rush.

The fire. The sound of someone screaming. Hyunjin’s cry of fear and the devastating pain in his side, and finally Chan’s pale, equally terrified face.

“I’m alive.”

Chan’s expression turns from surprised to wistful.

“You’re alive.” he agrees, sitting down on the edge of his cot. “Took some work, but they managed to mend you. It’s good to see you awake.”

Felix smiles, wincing when his lip cracks.

Chan notices, because he disappears for a moment and returns with a pitcher and a cup, pouring water into it.

“Here.” he says, sitting down again to help Felix up enough so he can drink. The water feels so good against his aching throat, and he drinks greedily.

Chan pours him another cup, and this one Felix sips more slowly, before he has to hand it back so he can lay back down. He’s tired.

Chan rests a hand on Felix’ head, carefully brushing through his hair, and it feels really nice. Felix offers him a sleepy smile, which is returned instantly.

“How long was I out?” he finally asks.

“Just over a day,” Chan replies. “Minho says you’ll be alright, but that it will take some time for you to heal, what with the blood loss and everything.”

“Is everyone else okay?” Felix has to ask at the reminder of their friends. “Are you okay?”

“Everyone is just fine,” Chan reassures. “Jisung and Jeongin haven’t left your bedside for a minute, up until an hour ago or so. They’re sleeping now.”

“And the others?” Felix asks, almost not daring to despite the promise that they’re fine.

“They’re exhausted, but they’ll be okay too, with enough rest,” Chan answers. “It’s been… quite a day. You’ve missed a lot. Jisung and Jeongin will catch you up later when you’ve recovered some more.”

“Will it take long?” Felix asks, not really fond of the idea of having to stay for a long time. “Could Minho maybe…?”

He wiggles his fingers. Minho had helped his ankle heal overnight, so maybe he can do it again.

Chan hesitates. “I don’t think so,” he says after a moment. “Minho is… he’ll take too long to recuperate. You’ll have healed by yourself by then.”

“He’s hurt?” Felix’ brows furrow. “You said everyone were fine.”

“And they are,” Chan says, trying to keep him from sitting up, “it’s just that he’s… pretty depleted. The woods… the damage was extensive. The effort it took to put out the flames was even worse. He’s going to need a long time to get better, is all.”

“Oh.” Felix manages, voice breaking a little.

“Hey,” Chan prods his cheek. “Don’t feel guilty. He’s going to be really happy hearing you’re awake. You’ll be fine, and so will he. It’ll be impossible to keep them all away when they learn that you’ve woken up.”

“I want to see them,” Felix says instantly, “I don’t want them to be kept away. Can I please see them?”

Chan looks at him for a long moment, before sighing.

“I guess if I say no, you’ll find a way to sneak out under my nose,” he says wryly. “If you stay put, I’ll see if I can find them, alright?”

Felix nods and gives him his best smile. Chan just shakes his head, but smiles as he gets up and leaves. Felix relaxes against the cot and closes his eyes, promising himself he’s just going to rest for a few minutes until Chan returns with everyone else.

Inevitably, he falls asleep.

When Chan said Felix had missed a lot, he really hadn’t been kidding. When he wakes up again, Jisung and Jeongin are there, throwing their arms around him and talking a mile a minute. Felix laughs, patting their backs.

“Slow down!”

“Sorry,” Jeongin says sheepishly. “We were just really worried. When Chan carried you to us and we saw there was blood _everywhere,_ we all panicked! I thought you were dead, but thankfully you weren’t.”

And then they proceed tell him everything that’s happened.

Apparently, he had passed out because Chan had yanked the crossbow bolt out of his side, a move he had been heavily berated for by the town’s physician and later also Minho, and Felix knows Chan is probably still beating himself up for it, even if Felix had turned out fine. Well, mostly.

Just after he had passed out, the witches had managed to summon a heavy downpour that, along with the efforts of the townsfolk, had eventually manage to quell the fires. They had avoided major injuries, except for burns and people who had been affected by the smoke, so all in all everything had turned out well.

Felix is the one with the biggest injury, which is kind of embarrassing.

“You lost a lot of blood,” Jeongin says, voice a little hushed, “we weren’t sure if you were going to be alright, but the physician said you would be, and Minho did take a look at you, too, and said the same. So you just need to rest.”

Felix nods, though there’s something itching in the back of his mind, like a thought he can’t quite process.

He looks around the infirmary for a long moment, trying to grasp what it is he isn’t seeing.

It hits him when he looks back at his friends.

“What about Elder Kim?” he asks.

Jeongin and Jisung’s faces immediately darken.

“What about him?” Jisung asks with a scowl. “Good riddance, if you ask me.”

“What’s happened to him?” Felix wants to know, a little insistent. “Was he arrested?”

Jisung sighs.

“No one really knows what to do with him,” he admits, “he’s locked up for now. Everyone is a little confused as to who deserves to decide. Some think the town should decide, because he nearly burnt the whole thing down, and Seungmin insists it’s up to him and the others, since they’ve suffered the most over the years, and then your parents think you should decide what to do because he nearly killed you.”

Felix blinks, trying to process all of that.

“It wasn’t really me he was trying to kill, though,” he says, shaking his head, “he was aiming for Hyunjin. I just wanted to stop him. Hitting me was an accident, he looked really shocked, from what I remember.”

Jisung nods slowly. “Then I think it’s pretty clear who it’s up to.” he says.

Felix agrees. He’ll have to talk to the witches later.

“What happens now?” he asks, and Jeongin shrugs.

“Well, the Elders aren’t allowed to rule anymore, but… that means no one else is, either, because no one is sure what is best. Do we replace them, do we change the way the town is ruled…” He raises his hands in another shrug.

“It’s not something we can decide overnight.”

Felix nods slowly. He thinks he might prefer staying in this infirmary forever, just so he doesn’t need to get involved.

Unfortunately, at some point he gets well enough that he can return home and finish mending there. His parents are overbearing, but they mean well, and he’s grateful that they seem to have changed their minds completely when it comes to witches and magic, which is definitely proven when he comes out of his room one morning to find Hyunjin and Changbin sitting at the table having breakfast with them.

Felix stops in the doorway, staring in confusion.

He hasn’t actually seen Hyunjin or Changbin since he woke up. The same goes for Seungmin and Minho. When he’s asked, he’s only gotten vague answers in return.

“What’s going on?” he asks.

They all look up.

“Felix!” his mother says, smiling. “Come sit. I invited your friends for breakfast.”

“I can see that…” Felix says, but does sit down, albeit a bit slowly.

Hyunjin glances at him, expression concerned.

“I said yes because I wanted to talk to you,” he says, “but it can wait until we’ve eaten. This bread is really delicious, Mrs. Lee!”

“Nonsense.” she says, but blushes and slaps Felix’ father on the shoulder. “See? You never tell me that anymore!”

“Because we’ve been married for over twenty years.” his father sighs.

“Doesn’t mean romance has to die, now does it?” she retorts and winks Hyunjin’s way.

Felix hides his grimace behind his cup.

After breakfast, he brings Hyunjin and Changbin to his room, knowing his parents are probably going to listen to everything they say, but he wants to sit down.

He shuts the door and finds a place on his bed, watching Hyunjin and Changbin explore his room with no shame. There isn’t a lot in it, just various knick-knacks he’s picked up or received over the years. Changbin pokes at a wooden carving of a cat, smiling at it, and Felix has to smile a little at the absolute delight on his face.

“My father carved that for me when I was little,” he offers, “I might have more.”

“Oh, I couldn’t take anything like that,” Changbin says, shaking his head. “It’s cute, though.”

Hyunjin sits down on the bed with him, a little ways away, and fiddles with his hair.

“What did you want to talk about?” Felix prods.

Hyunjin doesn’t look up immediately, and it takes Changbin kicking at his foot to actually get him to talk.

“I wanted to say… thank you,” he finally forces out. “You… you probably saved my life. It could have cost you your own, but… you still did it. So thank you.”

He looks up, and it’s Felix’ turn to look away.

“Yeah, well… I didn’t want you to get hurt, either. You’ve already been hurt enough by us, don’t you think?”

“Not by you.” Hyunjin says.

Felix glances up quickly, and Hyunjin offers a somewhat nervous smile.

“But- I did,” Felix says, brow furrowed. “When I was little and told my parents we met, and all of this could probably have been avoided if we didn’t go into the woods that night-”

“We don’t know that,” Hyunjin says, shaking his head, “I think it was inevitable. If not now, then maybe in just a few years. Something had to be the catalyst, and maybe it’s better that you getting lost that night was it, rather than something else.”

Felix nods slowly. That does make sense.

“I promised we’d talk,” Hyunjin says after another moment, pulling his knees up to his chest, “remember? Now’s as good a time as any.”

“You don’t have to,” Felix begins to protest, but Hyunjin holds up a hand and he falls quiet.

“I made a promise,” Hyunjin replies, lowering all fingers except his pinky. “And we can’t break our promises. I don’t intend to.”

Felix nods and leans his back against the wall, waiting. Changbin shifts forms, curling up in Hyunjin’s lap with a soft _mrow_ , and Hyunjin immediately starts running his hand through his fur. It takes a few minutes, but then Hyunjin sighs, shoulders slumping.

“I set out that day already knowing I was going to seek out humans,” he starts. “Minho had told me several times not to and that it would only bring trouble, but I wanted to see for myself if things had changed or not. Part of me hoped that enough time had passed, and that humans were more… welcoming, of others. I found you, and thought I was right.”

He smiles a little at the memory.

“You were just a child, but you seemed so earnest, and you weren’t afraid of me at all. I realize that children usually can’t discern what’s dangerous or not, but… I didn’t have a lot of experience with them, at the time. Still don’t.” He wrinkles his nose. “Children are… not fun.”

“Hey,” Felix protests mildly, “that’s not true. Besides, aren’t you way older than me? I should still be a child to you.”

“Shut up.” Hyunjin mutters, but smiles all the same.

“I told Minho, Seungmin and Changbin all about you when I got back,” he continues, “I was really excited. Said that we finally had a new start. Minho… he shot that down immediately. Told me I shouldn’t have gone, and that I would have to stand for whatever consequences were brought upon us. I felt our promise break right after, and I got… upset.”

He says the word delicately, and Felix knows it’s a milder version of what he really had felt.

“Humans started attempting to find us a lot more often after that,” Hyunjin says, looking down at Changbin as he lightly scratches beneath his chin, “our wards were weakened with each attempt, and they got close a few times before we managed to turn the woods against them. Some were killed by the bats, but-”

“Wait,” Felix interrupts, “the winged creatures that attacked Jeongin are bats?”

“Of a sort,” Hyunjin says, looking a little puzzled, “far larger and more lethal than your regular household bat, but… if you want to call them anything, a bat it is.”

“Huh.” Felix mumbles.

“Anyway, if I can continue,” Hyunjin says pointedly and Felix offers his best smile.

“Some were killed by the _bats_ , but some we had to get rid of ourselves. We tried to send them back to the town, unharmed, but when their intention was to harm us… we’re not forgiving people, Felix. I hope you understand that.”

He looks serious suddenly. Felix nods a little. He understands that very well.

“My parents told me about Farmer Shin’s son,” he says carefully, “the one Minho said he sent back without a head.”

“Mm,” Hyunjin says, “he attacked Seungmin. Surprised him, somehow, when he was out. Seungmin says he isn’t sure what happened, and I honestly don’t know if that’s true, but. He was hurt pretty badly. Minho was _furious_. Angrier than I have ever seen him. Since then we’ve reinforced the wards so much that nobody should have been physically able to cross them… until the three of you arrived. You know the rest.”

Felix sits quietly for a few minutes, taking in everything he has just learned. So it had been his fault that things had gotten worse, as little as he had understood it at the time. If he hadn’t told his parents about Hyunjin back then… maybe a lot of this could have been avoided.

“Told you you would feel guilty,” Hyunjin says, smiling slightly, but there’s kindness in his expression as he says it. “But I know I was too hard on you when we first met again. You can’t be held accountable, that should have been me. I’m sorry.”

“You’re forgiven,” Felix says, holding out a hand. “I hope we can start again.”

“We did agree on a fresh start,” Hyunjin takes his hand, holding it in his own, “besides, I owe you now. You saved my life.”

Felix abruptly remembers Chan’s story of saving Seungmin and makes a face.

“Oh god, please don’t give me magic. I can’t handle that responsibility.”

Hyunjin bursts out laughing.

A meeting is gathered to discuss what’s going to happen to the leadership of the town, as well as what’s going to happen to Elder Kim and the rest. The town hall is full to the brim, as everybody wants to partake in the discussion.

“Alright,” Mr. Han says loudly, trying to calm everyone down, “please settle down. We’re having a civil discussion.”

Jisung’s father has stepped up as a sort of placeholder to the Elders, and Felix privately thinks that they might as well choose him as their leader. The Elder-system is outdated and clearly flawed, but he doesn’t know if anyone else will agree.

Once everyone have fallen quiet, he looks around for a moment.

“I think, first of all, we should decide what happens to Elder Kim. He was at the front of what happened to the town a few days ago, not to mention he nearly killed one of our own. In reality, he was aiming for one of the witches, as I understand it?”

He looks at Felix, who nods, a little shy to have everyone’s attention on him. He never wants to be at the center again, please and thank you. Jisung and Jeongin, sitting on each side of him, take his hands in silent support.

“Something like this has never really happened,” Mr. Han continues, “so I don’t know the right procedure. But, if I were to add my own two cents, I think there are only a handful of people who can rightly decide what happens to Elder Kim after this.”

People start murmuring, but he powers through.

“He hurt us, yes, but he’s been hounding someone else far longer. None of us are really innocent in this, and we have a lot to make up for, and I think allowing Minho, Hyunjin, Seungmin and Changbin to decide is the only right thing to do.”

“How is that fair-”

“We require justice too-”

“How can we know they won’t-”

“Enough!” Mr. Han slams a hand against the table he’s standing behind. “Minho, please, come forward.”

Felix, Jisung and Jeongin all quickly crane their heads. Minho is here? Felix hasn’t seen him at all since he woke up.

Minho makes his way through the crowd, and they part for him, clearly a little afraid despite everything that he’s done for them. When he passes the three of them, he glances down at them. Then he smiles a little, before continuing on towards Mr. Han.

His right hand, when they see it, is charred black. There’s a faint smell of burnt wood around him. He slips it inside his sleeve as he gets to the front, turning to look at the crowd.

“I don’t care what any of you want to say,” he says honestly, expressionless. “That Elder attempted to kill my family. He tried to burn down my woods, my home. He has hounded us for years, hurt my family for years, and we will decide what happens to him. Argue if you wish, but it doesn’t change my mind.”

“What happens to the rest of us?” a voice pipes up, when the silence after his statement drags on for a bit too long.

Minho tilts his head. He looks exhausted still.

“You? Nothing, as long as you don’t let things go back to the way they were. Do better. I realize a lot of you were influenced by your leadership, and I can’t fault you for that. Those of you who still think I’m an abomination and want to end my existence, I hope you are dealt with swiftly as well. The Elder is ours, and that is final.”

He makes to leave, before pausing, glancing back to Mr. Han, and then to the crowd again.

“If I may make a suggestion… this man has done a lot these past few days to ensure things will be better.” He motions at Jisung’s father. “If you want a strong leader, you should look to him.”

Mr. Han blinks in confusion, and Minho smiles again, before walking back out the way he came.

Felix, Jisung and Jeongin rush out after him.

“Minho!” Jisung calls. He’s already a few meters ahead. “Wait!”

Minho stops, turning around to look at them.

“We haven’t seen you,” Jisung says quickly, looking worried, “where have you been?”

“I’ve been resting,” Minho replies earnestly, and holds up his right hand. The sleeve falls down a little, revealing that his arm is blackened to the elbow at least, possibly beyond. “I’ve been… tired. I hope you understand.”

“Of course,” Jeongin says, though he looks a little confused, “we don’t blame you, but… we’ve been worried.”

“About me?” Minho’s mouth curves up slightly. “I’ll be fine, with time. Especially if I get to destroy the person responsible for this.”

“Is revenge the answer?” Felix asks, brow furrowed. Minho glances at him.

“Perhaps not,” he replies, “but it feels good and I don’t intend to let him go. I want him dead, and that’s final. The others agree. This something I _don’t_ expect you to understand right now, but I hope you will eventually.”

“But this isn’t the end of it, right?” Jisung asks, looking a little desperate. “We can still come see you?”

“I couldn’t possibly keep you away even if I tried,” Minho says, but his expression gentles. “Of course. You’ll know where to find us, Jisung. We’re not going to disappear.”

Jisung relaxes, shoulders slumping, and Minho laughs.

“Did you think we wouldn’t want to see you anymore?” he asks.

Jisung nods, embarrassed, and Minho grins.

“Don’t worry. I couldn’t possibly stay away from this face.” He reaches out and pinches Jisung’s cheek.

Jisung splutters, smacking his hand away, and they begin to bicker.

Felix finds himself relaxing as well. Hopefully, things will turn out for the better, even if it’s taken a lot of effort and sacrifice to get there.

There is no more mention of Elder Kim. When Felix asks his parents, they look at each other for a moment.

“It’s been taken care of,” his father eventually says, and Felix knows he’ll never see the man again. He’s glad for it.

Jisung’s father is elected as a leader for the town, as flustered as he is about it, but the townsfolk believe in him and he has the trust of the witches in the woods, so anyone else isn’t an option.

A few days after this, Chan comes knocking on the door to Felix’ house.

“Chan?” Felix says when he opens the door, surprised to see him. “Hi! I didn’t think you were still around.”

He hasn’t really seen Chan since that day he woke up in the infirmary.

Chan smiles sheepishly. “I’ve had a lot to do.”

Felix spots a horse with a cart by the road, the cart loaded up with some bags, and he frowns.

“Are you leaving?”

Chan nods. “I have to. I can’t stop doing my job, as much as I would like to stay here.”

The disappointment is tangible, and Felix swallows hard.

“But you’ll come back?” he asks. “Right?”

“Of course!” Chan reaches out and ruffles his hair, and Felix grimaces. “I wouldn’t dream of never coming back. It’ll be a few months, probably, but…”

He glances past Felix to see if he can see his parents, but they’re both out.

“Listen,” he says, focusing on Felix again, “why don’t you talk to your family a little? I was thinking that when I come back… maybe you could come with me, when I go again?”

Felix’ eyes widened.

“What?” he breathes. “You’d take me with you?!”

“Yeah, I think you’re ready for it,” Chan grins, rubbing his neck nervously. “If you want to, of course.”

Felix can only nod eagerly, a little speechless, and Chan laughs.

“Good. Then I’ll see you in a few months, right?”

Felix nods and throws his arms around Chan, hugging him tight. Chan hugs him back, and it’s still as warm and comfortable as ever. When they part, Chan is blinking back tears.

“Hey,” Felix says, prodding his cheek. “Why are you crying?”

“I’m not,” Chan mumbles, blinking rapidly a few times before clearing his throat. “Just proud of you.”

“Thanks,” Felix says, feeling fond, “I’ve grown a lot, huh?”

“Ugh, tell me about it,” Chan makes a face. “You better not grow more before I come back!”

“I’ll do my best.” Felix offers. Chan smiles, and then they hug again.

Felix follows him down to the cart, watching him walk off down the road, towards the edge of town. A few months isn’t that long. He’ll see Chan again soon, and in the meantime, he has Jisung and Jeongin, and even Minho, Seungmin, Hyunjin and Changbin.

Everything will be better.

**Author's Note:**

> and then they lived happily ever after - at least until i come up with a sequel.


End file.
